May: Anniversary trip to Kalama, WA, Saki Senior night for track, Saki prom, Mother's Day, Book club, Sailing, Biking

Hyrum always gets me flowers and a card for our anniversary. Happy 27 years of marriage to us!

On our bikes again!

Hyrum and I took the Skinny Dan up to Kalama, WA for an overnight anniversary trip. We had wonderful wind on our trip to Kalama. It was 6 miles on the river from St. Helens and only took us a little over 2 hours. We sailed the entire way...what a great day.

Our hotel was right on the Columbia river with a marina next door so we basically sailed right up to our hotel.

Dinner on the river

A cute paddleboat was anchored for the night

Heading back to St. Helens the next day. We sailed for about 4 miles but then we used the motor the last 2 miles because there just wasn't great wind. It was such a wonderful little anniversary get away and I hope we can do it again sometime.

Townsend and Saki met us in St. Helens and we motored over to Sand Island to relax on the beach for a bit. The kids swam a bit but the water was absolutely freezing!

My favorite part of Spring...baby ducks

Saki getting ready to run a relay for track

We got to celebrate Saki for "Senior night" at track

They made posters for all the seniors

Biking!

We took the family to the open house for the Willamette Valley LDS temple. It was a pretty small temple but they did a wonderful job with all the stained glass windows.

Biking to the Hillsboro Saturday market

What a great place to be on a Saturday morning

Saki got a hair cut and style in preparation for prom night

Making sure her nails were cute for prom

She went to prom with a great group of friends, mostly people she knew from cross county. 

Everyone loved her dress, she looked very lovely and had a wonderful time

Stevie gave me these flowers and card for Mother's Day...I'm so glad I get to be her "mom" one day a week, she is such a cutie!

Mother's Day walk around Jackson Bottom wetlands

How are we so fortunate to live in this beautiful place?

Biking with friends is the best

Hyrum was in charge of breakfast for staff appreciation day at a work. He made delicious crepes for everyone. He had options for sweet or savory and it was a real hit!

We celebrated Saki's 18th birthday...officially an adult!

Saki's final race of the track season. She ended up with pretty terrible shin splints but I think she still would have done it for the chance to be with friends.

Another walk around Jackson Bottom:)

Biking...again

Stevie!!

I hosted book club. We read "Shark Heart" so I did my best to incorporate the shark theme. I especially loved how my "sharkuterie" board turned out!

Saki and her track coach, Lori Abraham. The crutches are due to the bad shin splints she got while running!

She made so many great friends during track

Just a dad and his boys:)

Working in the yard. Saki actually really liked helping with yard work because her apartment in Japan doesn't really have a yard.

Townsend and Peter

Out for a bike ride with the twins

Saki was asked to go to the spring formal or Mormon Prom. Unfortunately her date was at the State track meet that evening so he wasn't in the photos but he joined the group during dinner and then went to the dance. I believe she had another wonderful night with friends.

Out on the Dan, Julian is not a fan of sailing 😆

But he does love his mama 💝

Monkey see and monkey do up in the trees on Sand Island

Another wonderful month of adventures and fun and family and laughing and biking and good food!

 

April: Drum Tao, Birthday lunches, launching the Dan, Easter, bike rides, Saki track

We went to see Drum Tao in Portland. This great Japanese drumming troupe. So much energy and power...very loud but very fun!

We invited Nozomi to join us. He is the other AFS exchange student from Japan in our area. He and Saki both agreed it was a great show:)

A bit late but I was able to have my birthday lunch with a great group of friends:) We ate at a yummy Indian place in downtown Hillsboro.

That same day I met up with another group of friends for ice cream at Salt and Straw. I'm so lucky to have so many people around me that love and support me:)

We found a perfect sunny day to launch the Skinny Dan for the year. Time to get back out sailing!

Raising the mast is always a bit tricky but we managed to pull it off once again:)

The Easter Bunny left some treats for the kids

Katrina hosted an Easter egg hunt in her backyard. This was the first hunt for Saki AND Stevie:)

The "golden eggs" always have money inside $$

Beautiful blossoms on a bike ride with friends on the Banks/Vernonia trail

Another day, another bike ride. My friend Robin has a goal to ride the entire Banks/Vernonia trail out and back by the end of summer. That's 42 miles:)

Emerson and Peter

Saki got her ears pierced!

One Sunday morning Hyrum and I got some urgent texts asking Hyrum to play music for Sacrament meeting THAT day! Needless to say it was a stressful morning and Hyrum wasn't too happy to be put on the spot but in the end everything turned out great. He played the piano instead of the organ but it was fabulous and Saki even offered to help with one of the hymns with her violin. In the end it was a beautiful music filled service.

We went with the Doxey's to see the amazing Yo-Yo Ma perform in concert. What a treat. 

Saki decided to run track. She loved being with her cross country friends again and having the chance to run after school every day

It was going to be a beautiful day on the coast so Emerson joined us on a quick trip to Tillamook. It was so nice to spend time with him all day

The elusive "roof duck" Every once in a while we are on a walk and we see a duck on top of a roof. It's pretty rare so we always think it's great when we see one

Sherry, Robin and I had a wonderful walk around the Portland rhododendron garden

Out for a walk with Stevie girl

What a great start to a beautiful Spring here in Oregon. I am truly blessed to live in such a lovely place and be surrounded by friends that want to share in adventures with me. It has been great having the twins take turns coming home on the weekends so we can spend some time with each of them individually.