Halloween hijinks

After last year's smashing success, I'm not sure any of us were expecting this year's Halloween ride to come thundering down the pipe like it did, crushing the old awesomeness factory rating to smithereens...

Pardon me while I sound like a broken record, but it's so much fun to make such a complete and thorough spectacle of ourselves, and it's all because it makes other people so happy. We were cheered and screamed at as we zoomed through neighborhoods, and waves of applause would hit us as we rounded corners. We were chased by trick-or-treaters on foot and followed by cars rolling at the speed of molasses so videos could be taken. We were stopped for pictures and so question after question could be asked about 'your amazing bikes!'

Really, I can't hardly believe the fun we're able to have in our little corner of the world. What a treat to have had an aching face from smiling for 3 hours while we zipped through Olympia, costumes and hair flying, with our bro and sis and new friend, Jennifer.

"We don't stop playing because we grow old. We grow old because we stop playing."
- George Bernard


Red eyes and guaze streaming out behind her while she glided mysteriously along?! Marvelous.
Lovely ladies :) It makes me laugh that Sara added a flower to her ensemble - a lady is a lady, whether or not she happens to be a Grim Reaper :)
How could this not be stuck to our refrigerator?!
And this one, too!

Lucky, lucky us that one of Derek's buddies happened to be in a crowd we rode through, and was able to catch us in action -

Halloween transformation

Before:


After:

I told my sis I wanted to look very un-Hilary-ish, and she totally hit it out of the park. We will use her services again next year :)

And a close-up of Shannon's magic:

October inspiration

I'm pleased as punch to be a part of a super fun, super encouraging, super supportive exercise blog, and we'd love to have you come take a peak! It's just a bunch of lovely ladies, all with similar fitness goals, cheering each other on to success and greatness :) If you feel like your motivation is waning and you need a gentle push in the direction of get-up-and-go-because-you-really-can-do-it, please visit!


[ Well, rats. I can't figure out how to put the link in here, and my tech support guy is still at work :) Please use the link to Help *Me* Walk Away the Pounds on the side bar until Jan Michael gets home and is able to show me what to do :) ]

And speaking of motivation, what you see below is another part of what's made it such a treat to lace up my shoes and roll out the door this month. A riotous explosion of beautiful fall color, for sure!

Something serious for a change

I feel compelled to pause for a little bit and address something important. Thank you for bearing with me while I try and get this out :)

I lead a very charmed life. Jan Michael and I love each other and are thankful to be married to one other. We have the opportunity to do a great many fun, fun things - lots of those things are small, but we're also able to take part in a hefty dose of the big things, too. I am able to live out my dream job, that of a happy housewife, because my husband works very hard to make it so. There are countless happy moments in our little life together; I'm grateful and so is he.

There's a lesson, though, that I need to learn. I know it well enough in my head but my heart needs to understand it better so that I can live it out. These wonderful, beautiful things that we enjoy so much are going to eventually pass away. There will be a time when our bodies aren't strong enough to hike to waterfalls and canoe down rivers. It's entirely possible that before our legs or eyes begin to fail, we'll find ourselves in situations that don't allow for extra luxuries like screeching around on rollercoasters. And, though I don't like to think about it, it's a certainty that one day one of us is going to be without the other. It's just the nature of this life and there isn't any way of getting around it. And so comes the lesson...

I've been reading some notes from one of our church conventions about rejoicing. Phillipians 4:4 tells us to Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice. This is what God wants for us, to be able to rejoice always, no matter our situation or circumstance. Everyone in life has dark, valley experiences, ones that we'd never choose and want desperately to escape - Jan Michael and I are included in that; I just choose not to share them on the blog - and yet, in spite of it all, God wants us to rejoice and be thankful in all things. And the key to it is rejoicing in the Lord. What God gives us through Jesus will never, ever pass away, and is steadfast and true even when our natural lives are all topsy-turvy or full of pain and sorrow. Or pleasant and easy, for that matter. The Bible tells us not to love the things of the world, and it isn't because God wants to make things difficult for us. It's because everything in the world is temporary, and the things we'll leave behind when we pass into eternity can't possibly give us everlasting joy. God wants to provide us with bread for our souls that will always be satisfying, so that we never, ever hunger or thirst, and He's already done it through Jesus. He loves us and wants us to invest in Heavenly things so that we can know eternal rejoicing.

I would hate for anyone to look at our blog and see the small glimpse I share of our natural lives, and to be envious or sad or discouraged because maybe what we seem to have is far better than what someone else could ever experience. I want anyone who pops into our small corner to know that there is life far greater than what is offered on this earth, and that we are seeking it, in our very feeble strength, through our individual relationships with God and Jesus. I want that for you, too. And most importantly, so does He.

October forest

I am quite fond of fall and hiking and waterfalls and the company of our friend Angela, so today was a good day :)

October Ocean

Ripcord

I happen to have a husband who loves to skydive, and has flung himself out of an airplane thousands of feet above the earth, not once, not twice, but three times. My husband is brave, it's true. Unfortunately for him, he happens to have a wife who will never - and I repeat NEVER - join him in such an activity. I will hold pythons and sit on alligators and ride rollercoasters that zip around at 120 miles per hour, but I will not voluntarily strap myself into a parachute and leisurely step out the door of a vessel that is hurtling around above the clouds; I have limits. And so, all our married life, skydiving has been absent from the list of acceptable Saturday afternoon dates. But then we took our happy birthday trip to Cedar Point back in May and discovered Ripcord, which allowed us to experience, in a very small (and for my sake, very secure) measure, what it would be like to fly through the air together. And since any adventure is made 1000 times better when we're together, it was perfect.... and worth every heart palpitation I had while we waited, 15 stories high, for the go-ahead to pull that cord :)

My new favorite

My new favorite song, that is. And actually, I have another new favorite, but I'm too embarrassed to talk about it. I've discovered that once one turns 34, certain things one is drawn to are better left undiscussed, as sometimes one is really too old for said things. Anyway, this song is lovely, and I know from experience that it's perfectly appropriate for singing to your sister, or playing as you look at old family pictures, or even as you flit around the living room, setting out fall decorations.

Awesomeness, revisited

I don't expect anyone outside of our family to love these as much as I do, but every time I look at them - and I've lost count at this point - they make me happy. They're plastered all over our house - stuck to the fridge, hanging on the wall, framed on the bookshelf - and since it's been almost a year since they made their debut, I'm posting them again. And besides, I always like to shamelessly plug Derek Pearson Photography, which is, of course, the very best photography business on the planet. If you need family pictures, you know where to go! :)

More and more Mt. Rainier

The older I grow, the happier I am to be in the middle of what God has created; it's all so much more awesome than anything we, in our limited human abilities, could ever dream up.


Handsome husband sighting! [I apologize for the mush; Jan Michael will not appreciate it, either :)]

Mt. Rainier

The photo in the previous post of our disaster of a kitchen is true to life, yes, but also very ugly. And I can't stand to look at it anymore. Here is something far, far lovelier - a quick glimpse into our recent day at Mt. Rainier with our friend Angela. A very thorough look is coming, but until then:

Chicken Littles

So our big breakfast Saturdays are sailing merrily along, and the star this morning was a delightfully large batch of cinnamon rolls. We've not yet managed to devour all 12, but they'll be gone before the night is over. At that point I'll do a few sit-ups because I like to try and pretend that 5 minutes of exercise is the answer to a Chicken Little binge :)

Chicken Little Cinnamon Rolls
1 loaf (1 pound) frozen bread dough, thawed
3 Tbsp butter, melted
1/3 c sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp grated lemon peel
1/2 c raisins

On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 14-in. x 10-in. rectangle. Brush with butter. Combine the sugar - lemon peel; sprinkle evenly over butter. Sprinkle with raisins. Starting from a long side, roll dough up tightly. Seal the seams. Slice into 12 rolls; place in greased 11-in. x 7-in. baking pan. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 10 minutes. Combine 1/2 c powdered sugar and 2 Tbsp milk (or lemon juice) and brush over the rolls.

A couple of years ago, Sara had a raw food blog, and Derek, of course, was in charge of taking the pictures. The photos were beautiful, and I'm certain that her recipes combined with his work inspired lots of raw food creations in kitchens across the land. Now, what you see here is the best we could come up with. We're all about keeping it real in this joint :)