Colin and Lynnea

OH 29...

2011-11-11T11:30:00.000-08:00

Officially 29 today! Wanted to share a photo of Dance Party Friday on my birthday! 11:11am on 11/11/11!

Where is Waldo?

2011-11-01T11:19:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to share a quick photo of the work crew yesterday. We were the land of Waldos :) Enjoy.

Christmas 2010

2011-08-09T23:11:00.000-07:00

So.. yes Christmas 2010! It has been forever since I have updated my posts, but from here on out, I will do better :)

Our Christmas events began this year with a trip to hunt down a Christmas Tree. We headed outside of Sisters, Oregon for our search. This was also the first time we had both tried out our new Snow Shoes, which we both enjoyed. I happened to get a couple of shots of the journey, but not of the actual tree... hmmm?

Trying out the new Snow Shoes for the First time.

Colin on mission. It was so gorgeous out.

Results of a small snow ball fight we had.

Christmas eve came quickly. This year we again had our friends over for dinner, drinks and games.

Lynnea, Abby and Sarah relaxing on the couch.

Cinder : Sarah and Greg's pup felt right at home in the cat bed.

Christmas Day we spent with Colin's family at our home. We enjoyed a yummy dinner, exchanging of gifts, and visiting.

Finn, Kealin and Cedar

Colin got Lynnea a Snuggie :)

Call of Duty...

Finn reading a card.

Colin's new gloves to match his hat :)

October 2010 Road Trip!!

2010-11-23T16:25:00.000-08:00

And Colin and I were off (with all the needed navigation/phone/entertainment devices)...for an eight day road trip!

(Colin with the Droid hooked up to the charger and the aux cord)

We left our town Bend Oregon on Saturday the 23rd of October. Of course we did not get out the door as early as wanted but we definitely brought everything we would need without forgetting anything. The weather was suppose to be rainy and gray all weekend, so we were happy to head for warmer country.

(near LaPine, OR)

(near Summer Lake Hot Springs, OR)

First destination to be Zion National Park in UT. Neither of us had been, but had heard good things about it, so thought it would be fun to go check it out. The first day the driving went smoothly. We decided to stay the night in Winnemucca, NV. Colin had a free night stay at the Best Western so that is where we decided to bunk for the night.

(the back of the truck packed up : Winnemucca, NV)

(Colin enjoying the cozy bed : Winnemucca, NV)

(Before we went out to dinner : Winnemucca, NV)

We also went to the "Winners" Casino that night after dinner. We were there for about 20 mins playing Craps when Colin announced that he was ready to leave. He was up $175 ! So we left and went back to the room. So at this point in the vacation we had not really spent any money in a way :)

The next morning we were off on about a 9 hour drive to Zion. There were some gorgeous skies along the way.

Unfortunately we arrived at Zion past dark and the one camping area by the parking lot said it was full. So we thought we would attempt camping in the back of the truck until morning. However, about an hour of getting this situated we were confronted by the Park Security and were told we may not camp in the parking lot and that we would need to locate a campsite. He let us know about another campsite that he thought had spots. Sure enough we were able to find one! In the morning these were our surroundings:

This campground was amazing. It was super clean and there was a rule that you had to be quiet by 10pm, but everyone was silent at like 8pm! It was so bizarre, there is even over 100 spots! That first full day in Zion we decided to do a few hikes.

(One of the views on the drive up to our first hike)

The below photos are from our first day of hiking. We completed two hikes this day and they were considered Moderate Hikes.

Our next day of hiking was an all day adventure. We started off on a trail called Angles Landing, the last .5 miles is on top of a huge rock with 2000 ft drops on either side so they provide chains to hold on to. I could just not bring myself to do this part of the hike, too scary! So we went on hiking other trails.

Our last day at Zion we decided to do two more hikes. One was a short river walk (The Narrows) and the other was considered an advanced hike (Hidden Canyon), again with the addition of chains. :) I worked up enough courage to do this one. It was still scary though! Colin took all the photos :)

(at the top you could go into a canyon, but there was too much water)

After Zion, Colin and I headed for the Grand Canyon. Neither of us had ever been, so it was a neat experience. We stayed on the North Rim for one night. It was really chilly there! About 26° in the morning when we woke up. We did not get the chance to do any hiking this trip but next time!

On the "way" home we stopped in Vegas for two nights. We were able to stay at our friend's Britt's place, which was very nice of her, considering she was not able to join us because she was staying in California! While we were in Vegas we visited with my friend Tex and also ran into a friend from Bend.

(Tex and Lynnea)

We left Vegas on Saturday morning and made it home Saturday night, so we had all day Sunday to get re-organized at home. Overall we had a great vacation and can not wait for our next road trip adventure.

Elk Lake Resort Camping

2010-09-24T14:02:00.000-07:00

September 18 & 19, 2010.

Colin finally got two days off work, after working a 13 day shift, so we decided we needed a little break from home. We searched around on the internet for a last min adventure out. Everything we were looking into was booked! However, we finally found an available Cabin Rental up at Elk Lake Lodge Resort. It had been dumping rain all day, so the drive up was very wet and foggy. Gorgeous actually.

When we got there it was still dumping. Elk Lake looked very cold and or course there was no one out enjoying it. We went into the lodge to check in. Here there was a Jazz band playing and a good group of people enjoying them selves.

We then ventured to our cabin. These are considered camping cabins. They have a propane heater and lantern and beds! So it was like" luxury" camping, minus a personal bathroom. It was very cozy and warm. it was too wet to build a fire so that was a bit of a bummer but we had fun. Luckily Colin had his 3G phone so we were able to get internet and keep entertained playing triva games most the night!

We had dinner there in the lodge while listening to the jazz band! Their special was a full rack of ribs, Colin got half a rack and I had some WAY TOO SPICY elk chili, it was good though...

We were hoping to get out and do some hiking all day on Sunday and maybe some target shooting but it was just way too wet. We ended up going back home and stacking some wood :)

Sunday Road Trip

2010-09-15T11:29:00.000-07:00

In the fall of 2009 we were wanting to do some fishing. So Nate, Colin's brother, suggested we go to the Ana River. Nate, Colin, Kealin, Fin and I headed out. It was about a 2 hour drive from Bend. We stopped for breakfast in LaPine and then hit the road to our fishing adventure. This was the first time I had caught a fish here in Oregon.. LOL. A little trout caught on bait. The fish were biting pretty much all day. This was great spot for the kidos as well. Fin caught the biggest fish of the day, with help from Nate of course!

After the fishing adventure we headed off to go to Summer Lake Hot Springs. It was inside a barn type structure and we were the only ones there during our visit. It was quite a treat.

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-12-09T10:35:00.000-08:00

This year for Thanksgiving we all gathered at Helen’s house, for a turkey that was too large for 5 adults and 3 kidos to consume (of course). Actually the biggest I have even seen. While we waited for dinner to be ready we all just relaxed and visited. During dinner we watched Star Trek, but it was cut short for myself, Elisa and Kealin, because we ventured out to go see the New Moon movie. Which was great. It was a good thanksgiving and we have a lot to be thankful for.

Halloween 2009

2009-11-06T06:33:00.000-08:00

This Halloween Colin and I decided to be Vikings. Before heading out to one of his Co-workers Halloween Parties we stopped by Colin's brother's house and saw the kidos. It was a fun night.

Kealin the "Dead Cheerleader"

Cedar the "Mom"

Finn the "Nija"

Sunday Afternoon Adventure

2009-11-05T19:33:00.000-08:00

Last weekend Colin and I decided to venture out on our Sunday (October 25, 2009) off together. Crack in the ground, a volcanic fissure in Central Oregon, was our destination. The little road trip started off great, we brought CD's and had good conversation. However, about an hour after the time we were suppose to be to the Crack in the ground we were both getting a little frustrated. Mainly, because we had dinner reservations at 5:30pm and it would take us about an hour to get to dinner from the Crack in the ground. Well after about 2.5 more hours of unnecessary driving around we finally found it with 20 mins to explore. HAHA! At least it was some time however.

The Entrance to the Crack in the Ground : October 25, 2009

Lynnea at the Entrance to the Crack in the Ground : October 25, 2009

Colin inside the Crack in the Ground : October 25, 2009

Colin inside the Crack in the Ground : October 25, 2009

Crack in the ground was truly amazing. We both enjoyed our small amount of time there. Wish we would have had more time to run around, but when our 20 minutes were up, we were off to our dinner reservations. Colin had been told about a place called the "Cowboy Dinner Tree". You have to make reservations and no credit cards are accept. The dinner is $23.50 per person. This includes a drink, salad, rolls, beans, baked potato, a 27 OZ Steak and desert of course! Needless to say we had left over steak for the rest of the week. It was a great experience.

Colin Outside of the Cowboy Dinner Tree : October 25, 2009

Inside of the Cowboy Dinner Tree : October 25, 2009

We ended our day with a shorter ride home and some laundry folding....ahhh..

Labor Day Weekend in Colorado

2009-09-13T18:01:00.000-07:00

Colin and I decided that we would take a QUICK trip back to Colorado over Labor Day weekend this year, to visit mainly with my Grandpa Teters. His Parkinson's and Dementia are getting worst as time goes by. It was great to spend sometime with him, as well as some more family and we even squeezed some of my high school friends in :)

Brandy, my sister, was the first to greet us at DIA. We had a late flight in right around 11:45 pm. Brandy then joined us in a night of slumber at my Grandma Nilajean's and Grandpa Pete's house. We got to visit with them for about an hour that next morning, before we were off to meet some more family for breakfast.

We then met up with my aunt Daneen and two cousin, Brittney and Savannah. We had a fast but wonderful visit with them and of course a fantastic photo shoot :)

After breakfast we ventured out on our 3 hour car ride back up to the Yampa Valley. When we got home to Dad's house, it was time to get prepared for Hayley's 2nd Birthday Party! I got to see and visit with some family during the party, ate some yummy blue cake :), and shot some fun pics.

Later that night we were all challenged to a family poker night. With real money at stake :) Janice Kay was the ultimate winner of the night :)

The night was not over for us, as the Colorado Bar in Oak Creek was calling our names. Here we met up with a couple of friends that I had gone to High School with. It also just happened to be the class of 99' reunion so I got to catch up with a few people. It was very fun!

Sunday we got up early to go to breakfast with the family that then turned into a day of mostly fishing and Uncle Pat and Aunt Sylvia put on a wonderful BBQ that night.

Monday we got up early AGAIN, to drive over to Parachute, Colorado to see my Grandpa Bill. He recently got some updates done on his home, which turned out nice! On the way back up to Yampa we stopped at the Glenwood Springs Hot Springs, it was very relaxing.

That night we just layed low with dad at the house, did a little fishing, then off to bed. Only to get up early again to begin our departure back to Denver.

Brandy again drove us down. We met up with Grandma Nilajean and Grandpa Pete and then headed out to lunch. Where my cousin Hannah and her two boys, Lucas and Christian, joined us. This was a treat. After lunch we headed to Hannah's house to check it out and hung out there for bit. From there we went to Grandma and Grandpa's then it was off to begin our departure back to Bend, Oregon.

It was a very needed trip to see family and friends. My mom was up the whole weekend to spend time with us, which was appreciated.

Spending time with Grandpa Teters was very savored.

Wind Storm = No Power

2009-01-02T13:34:00.000-08:00

Welcome to 2009! On the first day of 2009 we had a wind storm. 5 trees total fell around our house. Luckily none were actually on our property. 1 of the 5 managed to land on a power line. We were without power for about 15 hours. Colin and I made the best of it though! First we joined some friends who took us out to dinner, then came home to a nice card game played by candle light.

Holidays 2008

2009-01-02T13:24:00.001-08:00

Christmas Eve, Colin and I had friends over for a Hawaiian themed dinner. After everyone arrived safely we enjoyed dinner and games. Miko even got dressed up for the occasion!

The next morning Colin and I celebrated together and later we went over to his mothers where we met up with his Brother's Family. We all enjoyed Christmas dinner together.

Fin (Nephew) and Colin

Lynnea's Birthday Adventure

2009-01-02T12:43:00.001-08:00

Colin and I head south down Highway 97 to celebrate my birthday. Colin unfortunately was feeling sick, but decided to tough it out for our weekend getaway. Our final destination would be a lodge room that we rented in Union Creek, Oregon.

On our way we stopped at a few waterfalls. They were gorgeous. It was a tad bit chilly out so our site seeing was limited to about 10 mins per stop.

Our next stop would be the Umpqua Hot Springs. Which was my first "on my own" experience of exploring a natural hot springs, where you did not have to pay. I thought it was an amazing experience. We parked the truck and began on our small hike to the springs. The weather was perfect for hiking and soaking. The bridge to get to the other side of the river no longer existed. So instead there was an old tree that had fallen across the river, that a few "traction" boards were nailed to. This was now the connection to the other side. It was very fun crossing. When we reached the springs. There were only 4 people there and 7 pools. 6 pools cascade down the side of the hill and the 7th is located at the top separately from the others. Colin and I decided to hop into the hottest of the pools, which we estimated to be about 115°, so nice! We soaked for about 40 mins. Then headed back to the truck.

Next, we headed to our room in Union Creek, Oregon. It was a small "stop" on the side of the road. Very secluded. On our drive here I was telling Colin how excited I was that the room did not have a TV, so that we would have to find other ways to entertain ourselves. Well ironically, when we went to check in we noticed that on the wall there were movies you could rent. I was confused a bit, until the employee interrupted my thought with " we just got a TV in today, and you can rent it for $10 a night". Oh, geesh, so what did we do, yep we rented it along with 3 movies. (It was nice though considering Colin was sick, so it was a good way to relax) Across the road from the lodge was a cafe called "Beckies", we ate here for dinner and for breakfast the next day.

The next morning we headed back home. Colin was still not feeling well, which we found out a couple days later that he had pneumonia. We still had a great weekend.

Flying in a Flock

2008-10-28T16:14:00.000-07:00

Yep that is right! Colin got the opportunity to fly a helicopter back to Bend, Oregon from Texas. This trip would include a total of 6 Helicopters that would fly back in a flock like formation.

Texas Hanger : Where the R22's were picked up.

Colin taking off.

Colin and his Student : Joey Bowden

Shot of the sky from the air.

Almost dark shot of the R22.

Larger Parked Helicopter

Wind Mills from the Sky.

The R22's lined up ready for take off.

The R22's lined up ready for take off.

In flight.

Back Home : Trying to fit ALL the Heli's into the Hangar!

Cascade Mountain Climbing

2008-09-05T14:53:00.000-07:00

This year Colin and I decided to join my co-worker John on a nice day hike up the South Sister, which is located in the Cascade Mountain Range. It is about a half an hour drive West from Bend Oregon. Our meeting location was the Parking lot of a local brew pub restaurant, Cascade Lakes Brewing Company. This location would serve good reason for the post hiking activity of having a beer. So here we met at 5:00am on August 23, 2008. Colin and I rode up the mountain with John in his vehicle. We arrived at the parking spot and hit the trial about 5:40am, the temp out was 39°, and it was dark. Surprising though it was not too chilly about 5 mins into the hike I was pretty heated. So now we would hike... and hike we did! I am not sure the exact time we summited the South Sister, but it was a great time to do so. It was pretty windy and cold at the top, so the three of us huddled in a rock wind barrier and ate some lunch... (there were some people up there in Ninja Suites that were flying kites) then back down we went... we reached the car at 1:43pm. Not too bad considering this was a 11 mile hike (round trip) with an incline of 4,900 ft. The summit of South Sister is 10,358 ft. This was a great hike and had some steep, challenging moments. I would definitely recommend it if you like hiking.

Off we go : John and Colin at the trail head : 5:40am 8-23-2008

Good morning here we go!

A view to the South West during the morning part of the hike.

Broken Top in the Morning.

Lynnea and John with South Sister in the background. Probably about a quarter the way there!

Colin and John with South Sister in the background.

View of Moraine Lake.

There's the summit! We can see it, kinda, but it is still a long way away.

John and Colin Hiking it up!

John with a view....

Colin getting closer to the top...

and even closer...

Oh ya, almost there!

Almost...

There we go... John, then Colin, then Lynnea summited South Sister!!

A little snow melt pond at the top.

Colin and Lynnea on the top with Middle Sister in the background.

Tear Drop Pond at the top.

Lynnea at the top, taking a breather....

A view from the top of Broken Top.

More view at top.

Oh ya, there are the Ninja's with their Kites!!

Time to head back down...

John, Lynnea, Colin almost to the bottom.

John, almost to the bottom of the hike!

After the hike we drove back down to Bend where we met John's wife Ann for drinks and a needed late lunch.

Lake Camping

2008-09-05T10:59:00.000-07:00

Colin and I have managed to get away on some one night summer camping trips. Our first of these trips started with a smaller sized lake located up the Cascade Lakes Highway, known as Little Cultis Lake. We first attempted to drive up the road to a more secluded camping area, Taylor and Irish Lakes, however the road up there was too deep with snow to make it. We drove around the Little Cultis Campground with hopes of finding a spot, for it was a Saturday afternoon, to our surprise there was a lake front spot available! We pulled in and started to set up camp. That night we took the canoe out for a little stroll and some light fishing. No bites. We then enjoyed a campfire with popcorn and reheated steak. The mosquitoes were pretty bad, so heading to the tent early sounded great to the both of us. Shortly after we fell asleep I was awakened by what was the most gorgeous thunder/lightening storm I have ever experienced thus far in my life. Colin put up too much of a fight to wake up, so he missed the show. The next morning, after breakfast, we headed back to the canoe and onto the lake. No fish again, but we did manage to leave with really bad sunburns.... ugh. Here are some pictures from this our adventure.

Colin and I in the truck getting ready to take off.

Cascade Lakes Highway.. Mt. Bachelor, on the way to the Lake.

Little Cultis Lake with Little Cultis Mountain in the background.

We had a gorgeous sunset that evening.

Our Canoe with the sunset.

Entering night scape.
Colin salting our popcorn snacks.

Colin in the tent, right before we went to sleep. (do you like his hair cut)

The last day we were there canoing around :) Colin is a great paddler....

Visit to Bend

2008-08-25T12:42:00.000-07:00

Grandpa and Grandpa came to visit Bend! Very exciting. Around the date of July 25th I received an email from Grandma letting me know that her and Grandpa were going to be heading out on a Road Trip and that they would like to stop by and visit for a weekend! Grandma had asked when we be the best time for them to come, I let her know that Labor Day weekend would be great because I would have a three day weekend and would be able to spend a little more time with them. However, we ended up agreeing on the weekend of August 9&10. They would be arriving in Bend on the 8th sometime in the early evening. My work let me off a little early so I could be there for their arrival! I called them around 2:00 pm to see where they were currently at, they were about 45 mins outside of Bend. So around three I was pretty anxious for our reunion...however, I got a phone call from Grandpa asking if I could help him find my place, ugh...more waiting I thought, only to be relieved by grandpa informing me they were in my driveway! What a jokester he is!!

Happy hugs :) were exchanged, followed by catching up conversation. Colin came home and had made Steak Enchiladas for dinner, then we headed out to "The Old Mill District" here in Bend for desert at "Greg's Grill." After that we walked out behind the restaurant to enjoy the evening sunset and wildlife on the Deschutes River. Here are some photos...

Grandma and Grandpa at Greg's Grill Restaurant in Bend Oregon

Grandma sitting out by the Deschutes River, Bend Oregon

Grandma and I by the Deschutes River, Bend Oregon

Sunset over the Deschutes River, Bend Oregon

The next day, August 9th, 2008, we headed to Leading Edge Aviation for Grandpa and I to go on a helicopter ride with Colin. We were all kind of quiet during the ride, but had a lot of fun. It is a great way to see Bend.

Colin and Grandpa before we went up

Colin getting ready to take off

Some of the area from the sky

This same day we decided to drive down to Paulina State Park to go see East Lake and Paulina Falls. Colin drove us there with Co-pilot Pepe :)

On Sunday, August 10th 2008, Grandpa, Grandma and I drove out to Tumalo Falls, another waterfall in the area, it was pretty, but very crowded...

Grandpa and Grandma stayed Sunday night then took off to finish up the rest of their Road Trip. We really enjoyed seeing them!

Home Sweet Home Together

2008-07-22T10:37:00.000-07:00

Back in February of this year Colin and I purchased a home. The home was built in 1979 and is situated on a corner. It is a cozy 2 bedroom 1 bath plus a loft, which equals out to be about 1000 sq. ft. The home and shop sit on a little over an acre, so we have plenty of yard work and fixing up to do around the place! We have already been hard at it with painting, re-finishing the floors, new carpet, new kitchen counters, appliances and just overall a little TLC.. we still have a few projects in the house we want to complete.. but we will have to come back to that :) Here are a few pictures...

Front of home when we purchased the home, FEB 2008.

Side yard, 1988 Hot Tub Baby, FEB 2008.

Back of home, FEB 2008.

Shop on back part of property, FEB. 2008.

The old counters that needed updated, MAR 2008.

The new granite counters, MAR 2008.

The new sanded floors, MAR 2008.

Living Room Area, APRIL 2008.

Living Room Area with dad's cow elk hide, APRIL 2008.

Colin and I raking up the yard, MAY 2008.

Our Lawn, MAY 2008.

Deer in yard, JUNE 2008.