Okay Adina asked for it and I don’t have the energy to leave the computer so here is a super brief update:

Like everyone else our summer was busy but fun, wished it had been a few months longer. Took a fabulous trip to Utah to finish it off, drove 11 hours on Labor Day to arrive in time for school to start. We have been very busy in our house with painting all of the rooms and some furniture and trying to decorate. Outside we dug up the grass all along our fence, had a truck load of dirt delivered and then planted a bunch of trees. They are small but they will grow. It's been a ton of work but we like the result.

Tom:
** Did a sprint triathlon, a half iron man triathlon and an olympic triathlon this summer along with running in three different relays and two Oyster races. Yes, he’s a machine.
** Started a third job, he is now the emergency dentist for Williamette on Mill Plain on Tuesdays from 7-6. He continues to work in Long View on Mondays, being gone from 6:30-6 and has committed a year to both jobs.
** Loves Discovery Dental and hopes it just continues to pick up business.
** Stays very busy as the Ward Mission leader

Tracey:
** Loved that it was light out in the morning when I would run early in the summer. I miss it already and it just started getting dark.
** Swam in the Columbia River every week training for the Olympic Triathlon at the beginning of September. Very hard race but fun...I think you could call it fun.
** Loves new calling in Young Women’s working with the Mia Maids. Awesome girls and leaders I get to hang out with!
** Has been nursing a knee injury all summer, hoping it holds up for the marathon in 3 weeks.
** Has all three kids at school this year and is hoping that the promised free time will come eventually!!

Hayden:
** Loves 5th grade and not being new this year. Loves getting to sit in the back of the bus rides it every day even though I can’t get his sisters on it.
** Joined the band and is playing clarinet like Morgan
** Is playing fall ball baseball in hopes of getting his skills better so he will be ready for spring ball. He would still rather stay home on the couch but he is learning to tolerate it and is improving. At one of the games he got three hits and scored all three times!
** Got the scores back from last years standardized testing and he rocked it. It’s always nice to have that affirmation that he is in the right grade since it makes lots of other situations awkward!

Danica:
** Has really gotten into listening to music and can often be found just sitting around with her ipod.
** Has been slow to warm up to first grade, it’s hard that it’s all day everyday, she just misses me too much but it’s getting better.
** Is thriving at gymnastics and is at the top of her class. She’s content to just stay with one day a week but if she decides to add on another day I am sure she would be ready to join the team. I’m letting her decide.

Alyssa:
** Turned 5 in August and we had a carnival party with all her friends.
** She started kindergarten and is doing well. The novelty is wearing off a bit and she’s getting hesitant to go to school but she is always happy when she is there and is learning a lot. She’s much younger than Hayden and Danica were when they started school so she is really learning at school which is nice.
** She also started gymnastics, a class at the same time as Danica in order to simplify my life. She LOVES it and they make her really listen and follow directions so I love it.
** She is the highlight of my day and I’m not sure I will be able to handle letting her go to school all day everyday next year...just going half the time is perfect. I wish Danica could do that to. But alas... summer will come again....

• Attended 3 running camps this summer, back to back, then home just in time for High Adventure.  To say he had a busy summer would be a huge understatement.  
• Cross Country has begun and we are really looking forward to his last year of running for Washougal.  It's an absolute pleasure watching him fly.  Check out his schedule if you want to see him run this season: http://www.pantherrunners.com
• Hoping to run for the Cougars starting next summer...
• Still no driver's license.  And very little desire to get one.  Things are so close, and he'll just run somewhere or bum a ride with a friend if he really wants to get somewhere.

Last year I was the photographer for Tom, Adina and Peter as they competed in the Aluminum Man Sprint Triathlon in The Dalles. They were amazing and I remember watching them thinking that there was no way I could do it. Well, this year something possessed me to try. I did a sprint triathlon at Blue Lake in June and it was tough but doable. So for extra challenge we decided to sign up for the Olympic Distance in the Dalles. I really tried to train amid all the chaos of summer. I got up really early to fit in a 22 mile bike ride every week, my friend and I went to the river to swim every Wednesday, I kept on my running... but I’m not sure it was enough to really prepare for an Olympic Triathlon. It’s kind of like running 26 miles over the coarse of a week and thinking that makes you ready for a marathon.... it doesn’t. But we worked hard, we persisted and in the end we succeeded. Although we felt like it was way too hard we did okay. Tom ended up 4th in his age division and I was second. It was a small race so that’s not saying much but it’s something. The three hours it took to complete the event gave me plenty of time to talk to myself...here are some of things going through my head during each event: (Tom says this is way too long and will be painful for others to read so read at your own risk...I wrote it mostly so I could remember it!)
The Swim:
Well I was hoping to do it under 30 minutes so I at least met that goal, finishing in 25 minutes which is the speed (or lack of speed) I was finishing in during my training swims. I went in telling myself it would be okay that I would be last because I knew I would be but it was still hard to handle when it was happening! I had an anxiety attack around the first buoy thinking I wouldn't be able to do it and my heart started racing and I couldn’t breath but I did the back stroke for a bit and calmed down and managed to find a rhythm and caught up quite a bit finishing just a few minutes behind everyone else. Not dead last but close... but I did finish...through out the swim I tried to distract myself from the fact that I was out there all alone, with nothing to look at but grey water and nothing to listen to except my breathing so I was trying to think of what color to paint the kitchen. Not exactly the kind of thinking to motivate me to go faster but it did keep my heart from racing. I was so happy to be done but dismayed by how far behind I was! I tried to hurry through my transition but I was all out of sorts from the swim and I can see my transition time online and it wasn’t great. Oh well, I managed to get out on my bike determined to do my best and hopefully catch up to the other women!
The Bike:
As I had come up from the swim I saw my friend Chelsea leaving on her bike and wished her well. I saw one other lady in the transition area but as I mounted my bike I was all alone and stayed alone most of the ride. I tried to tell myself to just enjoy it and not stress but I couldn’t help it. I was pushing it as hard as I could with every pedal telling myself that I could rest all I wanted when I got home that night but right then I had to give it my all! It felt like a really long ride and there were plenty of hills but I did enjoy the ride, I liked the scenery, talked to the few people I saw and got chased by a dog. I passed a couple people and finally at 22 miles I caught up with my friend and was excited to ride with her for a bit after being so lonely. I thought it would be finished at 24 miles so I pushed it hard. I finished with a decent pace around 17 mph, that's pretty good considering I usually average closer to 15. I just kept telling myself to give it my all instead of saving something for the run. I figured I would worry about that part when I got to the run! I was dismayed when the course just kept going and going and we didn’t actually finish until closer to 29 miles!! But I hopped off the bike, exhausted and still so far behind but determined to do what I do best: run.
The Run:
It was very hot and there was no shade but I kept telling myself "you're a runner, you can do this!" Every step took a lot of effort because my legs were so tired from the bike but I managed to convince them to keep going. My Garmin wouldn't turn on so I didn't know my pace or distance but that was probably a blessing since I was just focused on not stopping. I powered past the 1.5 mile water station and turn around for the sprint runners really wishing I was turning around too! But I had been looking for Tom so I was I was motivated to keep going. Not long after that I saw him and I threw my arms in the air in excitement! Here we were, we were actually doing it! He was on his way back and I was terribly jealous wishing I could turn around and run with him. But instead I was happily surprised when he stopped just long enough to give me a fantastic sweaty hug! We wished each other well and pushed ahead in our separate directions.
The next 1.5 miles was the longest of my life. At one point I rounded a corner sure I would see the turn around and when I could see far off in the distance and there was no turn around I let out an audible cry of dismay! Honestly it was one of the hardest things I've done, I wanted to quit so badly. But I made it to the turn around and got some water. Then I headed back... I was so hot, so tired and my wet shorts were really uncomfortable but I just kept telling myself that if I would just get to the end I would be done. I kept making little deals with myself like “just run to the end of this song and then you can walk for the time in between songs.” But the song would end and I would somehow manage to keep going without stopping to walk and I would make a new deal with myself which I would inevitably not keep...I did stop for water at that 4.5 mark and then just kept making deals with myself to convince myself to run all the way back. I was more tired than I was after the marathon I ran. I didn’t know my pace at the time, but it turns out I averaged 7:27. Not bad considering my speed has gone down since my knee injury. Definitely not bad considering how exhausted I was. I'm happy I finished it. Glad I challenged myself and now I know I need to train harder in the future if I ever plan to do it again.

Speaking of doing it again...I decided I definitely won’t do it again until I take some formal swimming training so I can use less energy and hopefully go faster. I would also really like a bike that fits me better so I’m not as uncomfortable but that is a long way down the road so I’ll probably just have to put up with what I have. For now, I’ll stick to being a runner... I’ve got a marathon in a month so I better get training! Here are the results: http://www.racecenter.com/results/2012/res_am12.htm#25

June 23, 2012 was definitely that – quite a night! We departed for the coast early in the morning. It was pouring rain but the clouds parted for our arrival at the Oregon coast. We drove down through Lincoln City, Depoe Bay, Newport, Waldport, and Yachats.

We stopped at Heceta Head to see the lighthouse there.









Then we drove up to Cape Perpetua to see the amazing viewpoint there.





After a day together in the sunshine, we got to Salishan Resort where we were staying near Gleneden Beach. It was perfect – deck with rocking chairs, fireplace, pool, jacuzzi, ocean view – awesome.



We went to dinner at the fancy steakhouse they have at the resort and treated ourselves to steak, crab cakes and chocolate cake. Right after dinner, we went straight over to Gleneden Beach – Eric’s favorite beach. We walked down to the water and walked north along the beach for a few minutes before we noticed a seal in the waves right next to us! Seconds later, we noticed a spout just about 15 feet into the water – a gray whale!! It was the first time both of us had ever seen a whale that close in the wild! We followed the whale for a while until it out swam us and we had come to the spot that Eric wanted to stop.



We laid down a towel and sat down together to watch the sunset. After a little bit of time, Eric did it – he proposed! He brought out the most beautiful ring I have ever seen – absolutely perfect for us. I, of course, said YES!!! right away and gave him a big hug and kiss. We then had our mini photoshoot of the ring and us (results below) and we sat together for a while until the sun had set completely and then we walked back to the car – timing how long it took us so we could remember the exact spot.






When we got back to the resort, I was surprised to find that Eric had arranged for a local florist to come into our room and put red rose petals all over the floor and on everything – so romantic! I felt like I had walked into an amazing romance movie!



The next day we had some Pig N' Pancake for breakfast and then explored the coast a bit more and visited the beautiful Yaquina lighthouse before our last stop at Tillamook Cheese Factory for some ice cream.







It was a perfect proposal and I am beyond happy and thrilled to have found the love of my life and I am so excited for the amazing, fun, awesome, wonderful life we are going to have together!! I love him!!

I guess it is about time that I write up the story of Derek's birth. Monday afternoon last week I headed to my 37 week appointment with my doctor. He checked me and told me that he could see me having our baby within the week. Contractions began that evening, not very strong, but every 20 minutes. This continued on through the night and into Tuesday. They got gradually stronger all day and began to get closer after we put the kids to bed around 8:00pm. I continued to keep track and decided at 12midnight to head into the hospital to get checked out.

At 3 we were finally admitted and I was at 5cm. Let's just say I stayed at 5 cm until 11am when I finally began to dilate further. It felt like forever especially after not sleeping the night before. We were greeted with his presence at 12:52pm. He ended up being my biggest baby at 8lbs 4 oz. Derek Russell Olsen is what we officially decided on for his name. We now have our ABCD family :). Derek had done breathing problems and had to have a close eye kept on him but we were able to head home 24 hours later. The other kids are loving him and he has been such a quiet sweet baby.