Well I guess since I do it every year...here it is:

Mike - Anne
Brooke - Kim
Dave - Treven
Adina - Mike
Brent - Tracey
Buffy - Peter
Tom - Adina
Tracey - Brent
Marnie - Tom
Anne - Brooke
Peter - Dave
Kim - Marnie
Treven - Buffy

Well there you go...I was wondering if you guys wanted to start doing the exchange with the grandchildren...since by christmas we will be up to 11 grandkids and we definitly don't have money to get every one a gift...here is the exchange for them if we do decide to do it:

Isaac - Sadie
Taylor - Melia
Parker - Hayden
Morgan - Danica
Jane - Taylor
Sadie - Morgan
Ellyn - Andrew
Hayden - Jane
Danica - Parker
Andrew - Isaac
Melia - Ellyn

So there you guys go.

-Anne

Wow, I have been bad about blogging. I’m sorry to take so much and give so little!! Things were hard for a while after my experience with the bike accident but I am doing better now. Even sitting at the computer next to the front windows was hard. I was dealing with a little posttraumatic stress and several things would set off a reaction of intense anxiety and nausea similar to what I felt when I first ran outside. I think that if I hadn’t been the first one on the scene and hadn’t felt that sense of responsibility I wouldn’t have felt so much stress all at one instant. It would have been much easier to have simply been a sad/worried observer. It was so much stress all wrapped up into one split second and the feeling kept coming back to me when something would trigger it. Fortunately, Tom was able to give me a blessing and it promised me peace if I would turn toward the scriptures. As I have done that I have had a great deal of peace and the attacks have stopped coming. I am so thankful for the power of the priesthood and the strength I receive from it. Truly, before the blessing I felt like I would never feel good again and I just couldn’t wait to move. But, just the other day I got another call from an officer asking for more info about something I wrote in my witness report and I was able to handle it just fine.

Tonight, Tom and Hayden are gone to the Indian’s game, they should have fun. I’m going to my book group; we read “Life and Death in Shanghai.” It’s a great book, I’m learning a lot from it and learning that I really am so busy that I can barely find 20 minutes a day to read by catching a few minutes here and there! Danica won’t let me read when I feed her, she insists on grabbing the book! I used to read during my meals but now breakfast is scriptures and Hayden insists I read The Friend to him at lunch. So there just isn’t time! Needless to say I’m not even half way done with the book but I’m going to the group anyway! But on the topic of having no time to myself, Hayden starts preschool next week and he is soooo excited! We went today to help clean the classroom and he kept begging me to let him just stay forever! I think it will be fun for everyone! I am sad that he is “growing up” and leaving me but I think he’ll love it.

We mailed off our paperwork to the Navy, our top request is a GPR in San Diego, and hopefully we’ll get it. But if we don’t we’ll be happy anywhere, it’s all just an adventure! Now Tom just needs to take up running and he can follow Dave in everything! I’m still enjoying running and would love to join a running club of sorts. I’m with you Adina in that I feel pretty happy about going 3 miles or so. Let me know what you think we should do for our running club.

So the census just came out today and said that Cleveland is the #1 poorest city in the nation. 32% of people are living in poverty, we actually fall into that category but luckily it's different for us. Crazy... Hopefully the city can figure out a way to solve this problem.

Dave great job on your run!! Marnie send up pics of your new place when you get moved in! Brent and Buffy what are your upcoming plans? Brooke and Mike good luck with the move!!! Wow!! Anne keep the pictures coming, he’s adorable! Kim, how are you feeling these days?

We’re starting to look at airfare to possibly go to Vancouver for Christmas. Who will be there? Does anyone know of anything going on that would effect the dates we get our tickets for? Okay, I will stop writing now, I always write so much, that is why I don’t have time to sit down and do it!!

We hope you’re all doing well! Talk to you later!

Tracey

CTR: Choose To Run - an all LDS team from Washougal (Dave) and Camas (everyone else) 

The race began at Mt. Hood Timberline Lodge 

Dave running his last leg 

The race ended in Seaside, OR. 

Has someone done - or is someone willing to do - the name drawing for Christmas this year? Just wondering - it is nice to have some time to think about the gift...

Kids off to school today. They were all very excited. Washington weather has returned today - but won't last long - it is supposed to be a hot weekend.

Dave is out putting up our 3-room tent to make sure we have all the stakes, etc for this weekend. We leave on Friday morning with Brent & Buffy for the Dave Matthews concert in the gorge. Brian & Paige - we plan to be there on Friday by 1 or so. Let us know if this still works!

I'm off - to enjoy the remaining 2 hours of peace and quiet today. Oh - and we are going to look at a piano tomorrow - in Portland. Hope it's in good condition.

Adina

Well - Dave is on some lonely road in Oregon in a van with 5 other sweaty runners - and he's not here to listen to my idle chatter, so I will blog. Lucky you.

We were able to see Dave after his first leg - it ended in Sandy, OR. He got eight kills (passed eight other runners) and faired well despite the heat of the day. He is having a lot of fun and I know this will become an annual event for him. After speaking with Brooke - who also went to watch Meagan run her leg - we both feel pretty much like losers for not being big 'runners'. It's tough being around the likes of Dave and Meagan - my three miles looks like child's play after Dave comes home from his 17-miler. I'm too embarrased to even call it a 'run'. Regardless, Brooke and I have decided to press on - we will form our own non-elite running club - and aspire to get better. For all of Dave's good intent, I need encouragement like Brooke can offer. No matter how much he loves me or how sweet he is, whenever he says, "Hey - why don't you go for a run? I'll watch the kids", I interpret it as, "Hey fattie - go exercise." Anyway...

Our club will have to be a long-distance one...I have been in a state of denial over the whole 'Brooke going to Germany' thing, and I guess I have done a pretty good job, because I didn't realize it is only about 10 days away. We will miss them so much - having them here has been awesome - but we are so happy for them and for Mike. We look forward to their visit next year and to our trip out to Germany in a couple of years.
Now I will go back to blissful denial...

Not much else to report. Isaac starts middle school on Tuesday - big, bad sixth grader. We went to his open house thingy last night and got acquainted with the school and teachers. Taylor is dying to take piano lessons. Every time we got to Papa's and he pounds on the piano, it is like a little knife being driven into my heart. We are trying desperately to acquire an affordable piano that will fit into our house. Parker starts every sentence with, "Dang". Dang, Mom, it's hot out here. Dang, I love this movie. Etc. And Morgan has started drawing pictures and taping them to neighborhood kids' doors. It's pure excitement in Washougal.

We love you all...hope to hear your news.
Adina

Hello everyone! Nice to hear from some of you and see what is going on.

I am well into moving. My apartment is completely packed up and I will be moving most of everything tomorrow. My amazing friends are going to help me so I am not going to have to get a U-Haul this time. (yay!) So I should be completely moved in and out of my old apartment by this Tuesday.

I am not sure if I had mentioned it but I was going to have to pay rent at my old place in addition to my new one through the 15th of Sept because I gave too late of notice that I am moving. So my wonderful friend had the great idea last Friday that since my landlord wasn't doing anything to get someone in there (cause he already had my money coming to him) that I should find someone myself. So I put up an ad on craigslist that my apt would be available on Sept. 1st. I got a ton of responses and I narrowed it down to about 10 promising people. I sent those names and numbers off to my landlord and after calling him a few times to remind him to get on the ball, my landlord came over last night with a couple of very promising renters that are super interested in the place. So I think that I am going to be out of there and not have to pay rent through the 15th! No double rent is awesome. Persistence works people.

Work has been really busy. We have two major programs that have materials that need to be revised and redesigned so that is where it comes to me! It is nice to be busy. We also have a new shipping manager because our old one is moving to Cleveland (I got him an Indians hat as a good-bye gift!) The new guy is from Boston and is pretty nice although I can already see him getting on my nerves sometimes. He drives a Mini Cooper though! It is light electric blue and it is an S with a white top. He also really likes movies so at least I will have someone to talk to at work that has some idea of what I am talking about when I reference anything pop culture. There are only 6 people working at my office so one new person can be quite a change, but I think it will be fine.

I went to Disneyland last week. It was really fun. It was Goth Day apparently and there were people everywhere wearing really crazy outfits. Some were really cool but others were just annoying. They officially call it "Batz Day at the Fun Park" and it is a weekend long thing every year. Weird. I also got to see the new Pirates which is so cool! The new anamatronics (sp?) that they put in for Captain Jack Sparrow are amazing, they look just like him! Pirates is totally taking over Disneyland. They have street show outside the ride and people dressed as pirates wandering around everywhere. They also have a Jack Sparrow character that walks around and you can take pictures and get autographs from him. The guy who plays him now looks more like Freddie Mercury than Johnny Depp though but it is ok.

Sorry about the double LOST countdown! It said that it wouldn't post and then it did so...i dont' know how to change it.

Hope all are well! Good luck on the Hood to Coast David and all involved! Now I should get back to work!! :)

Marnie

If I knew it would be the last time, that I'd see you fall asleep,
I would tuck you in more tightly and pray the Lord, your soul to keep.

If I knew it would be the last time that I see you walk out the door,
I would give you a hug and a kiss and call you back for one more.

If I knew it would be the last time I'd hear your voice lifted up in praise,
I would video tape each action and word, so I could play them back day after day.

If I knew it would be the last time, I could spare an extra minute to stop and
say, "I love you," instead of assuming you would KNOW I do.

If I knew it would be the last time I would be there to share your day,
Well, I'm sure you'll have so many more, so I can just let this one slip away.

For surely there's always tomorrow to make up for an oversight,
and we always get a second chance to make everything just right.

There will always be another day to say "I love you,"
And certainly there's another chance to say our "Anything I can do?"

But just in case I might be wrong, and today is all I get,
I'd like to say how much I love you and I hope we never forget.

Tomorrow is not promised to anyone, young or old alike,
And today may be the last chance you get to hold you loved one tight.

So if you're waiting for tomorrow, why not do it today?
For if tomorrow never comes, you'll surely regret the day.

That you didn't take that extra time for a smile, a hug, or a kiss,
and you were too busy to grant someone, what turned out to be their one last wish.

So hold your loved ones close today, and whisper in their ear,
Tell them how much you love them and that you'll always hold them dear.

Take time to say "I'm sorry," "Please forgive me," "Thank you," or "It's okay."
And if tomorow never comes, you'll have no regrets about today.