Pictures from our excursion.  It's such a fun place to take photos with all the beautiful colors and the weather was GORGEOUS!  I got sunburned pretty badly :-(  now the skin on the top of my head is peeling and coming off in flakes.  Looks like dandruff...

We had a great time on our recent trip to Klamath Falls.  It was wonderful to have a whole week to ourselves as a family.  Silly and Daddy got some much needed play time and Daddy & I really got to reconnect as well.  The activities and outings were fun, but the best part was just the stress-free relaxation time.  No computer, spotty cell service (sigh) I can't believe it's over already.  We're already planning next years trip :). 

Day one:
The drive is just over 5 hours and we got off to a late start because we had so many things to take care of at home before we left :( The worst part about this trip was definitely the fact that it came 4 days after another trip.  So I had a ton of things to take care of (including 50+ lbs of tomatoes to can) between the 2 trips.

We stopped at Salt creek falls, which is just about half way.  There is a very nice (short) trail to the waterfall's head and a longer trail down to the bottom of the falls.  Because of the rain, we didn't go all the way down, but we did enjoy the view at the top of the falls.

Here are some of our pictures from our Beverly Beach camping trip.  It was lots of fun and the weather was gorgeous.  September is a great time for a beach trip!  I only wish John could have been there, but we had my mom and 10 other families to keep us company :)

In case you missed the link in my long post.  Check this out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5UDlSxbr7M

Wow it's been a long time since I've blogged.  Guess I've just been busy lately and the computer has been sucking UGH! (the RAM fried and we had to borrow a weeny-sized stick from my bro until the replacement we ordered comes in) so I haven't been keeping up with the online stuff so much (email, groups, etc.) but tonight Lilly crashed on the couch watching a video of "Wonder Pets" (the most annoying kids show you could imagine) while I was making dinner.  Maybe I should let her watch more videos in the evening...  Anyway she went down at 6:45, so I'm taking advantage and getting some computer time before John gets home and takes over ;)

Here are all the things I've been meaning to blog about:
Got HP7 in the mail last Sat afternoon and finished it Sun evening ;) It was AWESOME!  The story was good and I felt really satisfied w/ how Rowling resolved everything, but the best part was just being completely engrossed in something and letting everything else go--I miss that feeling.  It was pretty bad around here though.  I didn't make any meals, do any cooking, shower or get dressed.  I just read and read.  I was, of course, often interrupted but it wasn't as bad as you'd think.  At one point I looked up from my spot on the sofa to see Lilly TPing the Living room.  I just smiled and went back to my reading.  When John came home he complained that she had taken like 20 old plastic containers and filled them with water and 1 object each and set them around the house in an obstacle-course fashion.

We went to the Enchanted Forest a week or 2 ago and had a great time.  The weather was a little dreary, but it actually made it nice because crowds were thin and the trees blocked the few light showers.  Here's a video John made of Lilly & Adam (her friend) in the roller coaster.  Pretty cute, isn't it :)  We were too busy playing to get many pictures, but here are a few:

We saw the Squeegee's at the Vancouver Farmer's Market yesterday and Lilly really enjoyed herself.  She danced, sang, played with the bubbles, lots of fun :)

Day 3:

The previous day had ended on such a positive note that we were all looking forward to a leisurely morning on the beach before heading home. 

Day 3 started in the early morning hours before the sun had risen when I awoke to a low moan and then, "Shit, shit, SHIT," from John.  I was hoping this exclamation had something to do with the obvious sound of rain hitting the top of the tent, or was maybe related to the fact that Lilly had wedged herself between the 2 air mattresses so that we all were half lying on the hard, bumpy earth.  Unfortunately, after sharing a bed with the man for 11 years, I was pretty sure I knew what was coming---nausea and vomiting.

Poor John spent the wee hours of Thursday morning emptying the contents of his stomach in the camp bathroom.  Between listening for John and the rain, trying to sleep on the ground and worrying about the inevitible stomach virus I didn't get much sleep. 

When Lilly and I did get up and went outside to meet with my Mom, I was amazed at our carelessness the night before.  Towels, tools, dishes all out in the open or partially covered were now soaked.  The rain had died down and most of the dripping came from the trees.  My mom couldn't get a fire started with the wet wood so she pulled out her camp stove.  After fiddling for ages and nearly burning off all her hair at least twice she finally got 1 burner working to heat up some water.  She was considering getting started on breakfast when the rain intensified.  Not wanting to disturb John, we went into her tent to wait out the downpour, watching water pool above our heads and in corners of the tent for entertainment. 

It seemed pretty clear that the rain wasn't going to let up anytime soon.  When Joel woke up we decided it was now or never and started packing up all the gear.  Everything was covered in mud and water, but there was no way to clean it off, so we did the best we could, knowing we'd have to unpack, clean, dry, and repack everything when we got home. 

We got on the road too late to avoid rush hour traffic in Portland, and nobody wanted to take our time and get home after traffic had died down.  John's nausea had passed and he was feeling weak and drained.  Apparently that was the cue for my stomach to get started.  The last 60 minutes of our trip, I clutched my gut and groaned in pain as the car suddenly braked and then lurched forward over and over again in the stop and go traffic.

As I look outside today, 3 days after our return, I see a filthy tent in the back yard and all of our camping equipment strewn across the lawn drying in the sun.  Just blogging about the car trip home makes my stomach turn.

I don't really feel like camping again anytime soon...

Ok, so maybe that's not an entirely fair title.  We were gone for the better part of 3 days and only 2 of them were bad--the 1 good day was pretty good.

Day 1:
It all started about an hour before we were scheduled to leave.  Preparations were in full swing and Lilly started complaining of a stomach ache.  She told me she drank some "bad water" and we found a sippy cup with spoiled milk in it.  She wasn't acting very sick and insisted that she still felt up to camping.  Fast forward 1 hour.  We're in the car, just starting out and about .000001 miles from home--blah!!  She pukes all over herself and everything near her.  We go home, give her some tea and a homeopathic remedy.  She says she feels all better and still wants to go camping.  We're skeptical but she's acting like herself so we set out again.  10 minutes into the drive she starts complaining of another stomach ache.  We pull over, stop at a food co-op and go into the bathroom.  Nothing.  When we get back in the car she says she doesn't feel well and wants to go home.  We head back home. 

At this point I'm utterly convinced that she just needs some sleep.  She ate something bad, she puked it up, she just needs to rest and then she'll be fine.   I'm not feeling too bad about missing our annual camping trip with my mom.  I'm just feeling bad that we did all that work and paid for the site--if we were going to cancel, whey couldn't we have done so a few hours earlier? 

On the drive back to Vancouver we come up with a plan.  Everyone still wants to go camping (including Lilly) but we don't want to push her if she's really sick.  We got an early start to the day (ETD 11 am) and the sun will be out until 10 PM.  We decide to go home, let Lilly rest and see how she's doing in the evening.  If we leave by 5 PM, we can still set up the tent and enjoy the next day.  I'm still convinced that she's done with the puking and that a nap will cure everything.

We get into Vancouver, pull into the driveway.  This is the second time we've been back home since embarking on our journey 2 1/2 hours ago--we should be almost to the campsite.  I hear a big sigh from the back and look to see Lilly is sleeping.  What to do?  I still believe that this nap is all she needs.  She might even sleep all the way there.  I look over at my mom, in the driver's seat.  "Let's just go!"  she says.  We leave home for the third time that day.

We make it to about Salem before Lilly wakes up.  She starts crying and moaning about her stomach ache.  John grabs a towel and manages to catch a good amount of her vomit, but she's still covered in it.  We're all hungry and we stop at a sandwich shop in Salem.  I get Lilly cleaned up, order her some soup and crackers.  She eats piles of saltines and drinks lots of water.  She is smiling, playful, energetic.  We're already over an hour from home.  Could this be over?  Can I really ask my mom and bro to go back to Vancouver again?  We start out towards the beach.  John has the foresight to grab a paper bag. 

Within half an hour we're getting off at the Corvallis exit.  Lilly is moaning again.  I'm feeling like an awful mother.  What was I thinking forcing my sick daughter on a camping trip?  What if she's got something really bad and we can't get to a hospital?  Why oh why didn't we just stay at home?  I am such a bad Mama :(.  She pukes again and we stop at a gas station.  I get some juice, plastic bags and napkins.  At this point we're closer to the campsite than we are to home, so we keep going.Lilly pukes a couple more times into the plastic bag that John holds out for her.  Soon, she falls asleep and sleeps the rest of the way there. 

When we get to the campsite her spirits are high.  She wants to play in the tent and explore the beach.  She doesn't complain of any tummy trouble.  She eats her fair share of s'mores and pudgie pies.  She complains when we want to watch the (amazing) sunset instead of playing in the sand.  She hates the smoke from the campfire.  She is pretty pooped and falls asleep early, considering she napped for 2 hours.  In fact, she falls asleep so quickly that I can get up and sit around the campfire with the rest of the grown ups--that has never happened before on a camping trip.  I'm starting to think this wasn't such a bad idea after all.  Sure, the car ride sucked, but everything has been really nice since we arrived.  The campgrounds are just ok, but the beach is beautiful.  That sunset was gorgeous and there is something healing about being in the woods.  Things are looking up, it's almost good to be true...