Saying Goodbye...

 When we got out of our car to walk a trail to Rooster Rock, I would have given anything to know those would be the last few minutes I'd be having with my dog. The next 6 pictures are the last we will have ever taken of her.

 I love this one of her hiding in the background. A very good description of how all of our trail hikes went. Her up ahead, and coming back to check on us every few minutes...

 Luna was a very charismatic dog. Loved by anyone she encountered. Only 18 months old, she still had a lot of puppy qualities. I was so excited to be watching her turn into an 'adult' dog. Saylor called her her 'Little Sister'.

 We started walking up the trail after these pictures were taken. It was a very steep hike up. We reached the first switch back which had an incredible view. We took a few moments there, and then moved on. Shortly after Luna started barking, and we realized some people were coming down. When she realized we were safe, she assumed her normal position and began wagging her tail. The hikers told us it was a good 2 hours to the rock, and considering we were only wanting a leisurely walk- and still had to get to a campsite over an hour away, we decided to head back down. At that first switchback, we took another look from it's great view. We could see the road below us, and the river on the other side of the road, but it was so steep, we could not see the grade of the mountain we were one. It was too steep. Luna started walking down the mountain, where it was safe, but quickly realized it was too steep, but she fell. We didn't really know how bad of a drop it was, and we all honestly assumed that she was fine, but we had been separated. So we hiked back down to the car. Joe told us to stay in the parking lot and keep calling for her, and he would drive to where she had fallen. He said he would be 25 minutes, and if he couldn't find her, he would come  back. To my excitement, he came back within 10 minutes. My excited soon turned to panic when I saw the look on his face. Still at this moment, I couldn't comprehend what had happened. I thought a car must have hit her, but Joe explained that when he saw what she had fallen from, he knew the fall had taken her life. We took her body deeper into the woods. We had a little ceremony- told her what we loved most about her, and would miss the most. We then collected sticks and began to stack them over her body. We finalized it with ferns, moss, and flowers. It was a beautiful grave.

 Our family loved Luna so much. I am going to miss having someone to greet me every time I come in the door. Just yesterday I was walking outside to leave and I began to say 'Bye, Luna!' but quickly had to swallow my words, and it hurt. But she knew she was loved, and we gave her a very happy life. I hate to see it be taken from a sweet dog so young, though. After we had gathered ourselves together, Joe made the wonderful decision to keep going on our camping trip. We couldn't bear turning around to go sit in an empty house and fill it with our grief. So we went on, and had a wonderful time. It was all dedicated to Luna Loo.

 We slept in our tent in the high desert near Sister's Oregon at a place called the Sister's boulders. It rained on us all night, but thankfully we had the tent fly to keep us dry (mostly).

 We played on the rocks a bit, but didn't play hard enough to even get our climbing shoes on. The rocks have an intense texture that our smooth baby hands can't quite handle yet.

 Here is an example of the texture. The white are chalk marks from other climbers.

 We spent a lot of time sitting on warm rocks talking about Luna, going over the accident in our heads, and trying to find some peace and acceptance.

 Saylor using water as 'sunscreen'.

 Then we took a little mid day nap before we headed out to Bend.

 We finally got to another set of boulders at Meadow Picnic Area in Bend, OR. It was beautifully placed along the Deschutes River.

 Saylor had a lot of fun finding rocks to throw into the water.

After we left there, we went to get some Chinese food. We had planned on staying another night, but with getting all of our stuff wet the night before- and our mourning hearts, we decided to pack it in a day early and got home around 10:30 PM.

Joe turns 25!!

Joe's 25th birthday was on Friday. We had so much fun. Our good friend Mike came over after we put Saylor to bed, and baby sat for us. Joe and I left around 8:45, biked to a close nature trail, then took a small hike. It was pitch black and was reminiscent of the way Joe proposed to me. Then we hopped back on our bikes and headed to the bowling alley. Joe bowled a 134 and I bowled a 109... As long as I break 100 I'm always a happy camper. By this point, it was a little past midnight. We then biked to Shari's (a 24 hour breakfast joint, compare to IHOP). We both ordered the veggie omelette with a couple of flap jacks on the side. We got home around 1:30 AM to find Mike passed out on the couch. We were all so tired, there were a couple of yawns and thank yous, and then Mike headed out, and we were off to bed. The next morning, Joe and I both got up and got our work done. Around noon, we were finished, so we packed up the gang (including Luna) and headed to the beach! It was SUCH a nice day. We found a nice secluded sand dune, and laid around in the sun with our little girl and our wet, sandy dog. On our way out, we stopped at our favorite Thai restaurant. Joe got an out of this world curry dish, while I got my usual (amazing) pad-see-ewe. We then came home and joined our neighbor, Summer, at her house. She was grilling out and had a lot of friends over. It was nice to just sit back and listen to everyone's conversations. We were so tired by this point, we were content being in the background. It doesn't stop there! Sunday (Mother's Day) rolled around. Joe and Saylor woke me up with a bunch of sweet kisses. He brought me coffee in bed, and told me breakfast was on the table. They had made toad in the holes (a family favorite.) Joe had to go off to work shortly after, and then I went after him. Finally, it was late afternoon and we had to be at my and Joe's first softball game. It was SO much fun. We lost 5-7, but have plenty of more games to redeem ourselves! Then we came home, fed Saylor and put her to bed (she was exhausted by this point! A long weekend for us all.) Then Joe and I ordered pizza, drank sparkling white wine, and watched the silent, black and white film, "The Artist." A weekend for the books!

Sorry for all the details, I just loved this weekend so much, I will want to look back and remember every minute of it!!!

The Loyale...

Well yesterday the family drove to Welches, OR (near Mt. Hood). It was about a 2 hour drive to get there. We made the trek to look at a Subaru that we've been eye ballin' for a while. It won our hearts as soon as we test drove it. It's a very simple car, much less luxurious than the van. But it's 4WD, manual, and a gas saver- and that's all we need. The guy we bought it from was very friendly. He works as a ski patrol on Mt. Hood at Timberline Lodge. He and Joe haggled about prices for a bit, but the outcome was smack dab even between what Joe wanted it for, and what the guy was selling it for. I think we both walked away content (I hope he did.) After the transaction was finalized, he suggested that we take the car up to the Timberline Lodge, to get a close up view of Mt. Hood. We had never seen it before (except as a far away snow capped mountain). Joe was nice enough to let me drive it up there (I think I've mastered my stick shift skills, finally.) Below are the pictures of our little adventure. 

 Yay! Our first car together as a couple!

 Mt. Hood

 Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of the Lodge itself. This a bummer because I later found out that this was the Lodge that they shot the (outside) of the classic film The Shining!!! It was really awesome/creepy inside. There was not a single soul around, but there was a huge fire going, lots of old pictures, stone walls, and wood carvings. Coincidentally, we ran back into the guy who had just sold us the car! He was going on a ski trip to Mt. St. Helen's the next day, and he came up to the Lodge to get some skis. This was great, because he adamantly told us to keep his number, and if we EVER wanted to come skiing up there, he would get us free passes, and discounts on rentals!! A good man to know! 

 Then we drove back down the mountain and went on a trail that led to Mirror Lake. We didn't make it to Mirror Lake, unfortunately. It was late, we were hungry, Saylor's feet got cold, and we were excited to get back in the car!

That was our adventure to Mt. Hood, and the awesome car we got out of it!! It was a SMOKING deal, and now we get to take it to the shop and find out exactly how much more money we get to put into it!! :D We are happy to now be the proud new owners of a 1992 Subaru Loyale!!!

4 years old

 Mara and Corrina

 Present opening

Ashley, Mike, Summer

Giant art pad!

Thank you, Summer!

Happy Birthday to you!

A 4 year old wish!

I presented Saylor a crown after she had (on her own) dressed up as a princess. She was so excited.

and still is excited!This is the next morning.








Wow, what an awesome weekend! Saylor's party was on Saturday and it was spectacular! A lot of kids showed up, and a lot of fun was had. After the party died down, our close friends Mike, Ashley, Jamie, and Summer had a bon fire with Joe and I. It was a great relaxed evening to a long, exciting day. Today is Saylor's actual birthday. I told her this morning, the story of her birth (in very simple terms) and she was so intrigued. She would say 'tell me more!' every time I finished a sentence. I asked her 'what are you most excited about this year, since you'll be 4?' and her response was 'turning 5!!!' She has often mentioned that she can't WAIT to be a grown up. While it's endearing, I can very much remember feeling that way when I was a kid, and I grew up WAY too fast. So, I try my best to tell her that being a kid is AWESOME and that she should get the most of it that she possibly can. I told her no matter what, she WILL be a grown up one day, and she should enjoy this youngster time to the fullest. But... my parents and friends told me the same thing, and I guess to some extent, we just are who we are!

Joe and I will be taking her to Papa's Pizza tonight after gymnastics. They have a big indoor playground (and pizza!) But Joe and I already decided on salad bars... We are junk food-ed OUT after this weekend. (We had another birthday party to go to on Sunday, and we will have 2 more next weekend!!!) There are still a few more gifts from family that she hasn't gotten... so we will hand those to her to open at Papa's Pizza. Joe and I went to Goodwill and found a great desk for her, that she can use to make art! She is always making something!

Well I'm off to laundromat and grocery. Happy Monday everyone. Happy Birthday Saylor!!!!!!!