Oregon Part 1

While Nate was growing up, he spent quite a few summers in Oregon with his family.  He took me there once, right after we got married and we've always wanted to go again and take the kids.  So this year we decided to do it.  We spent 5 days camping at Umpqua Lighthouse State Park near Winchester Bay and Reedsport.  

I'm going to have to split up the trip into a few different posts simply because there is so much to tell and there are so many pictures to share.  So here goes.....

If you know me but at all, you know that camping is not my favorite.  I don't like being dirty.  I don't like sleeping in a tent.  I don't like the campfire smell that permeates your clothes and hair.  And I definitely don't like outhouses.  So when Nate said he wanted to go camping in Oregon, I told him I had a few conditions.  We had to have a campground with showers and flushing toilets and the cooking had to be kept simple.  He knew right where to go.  I have to admit that I enjoyed this camping trip more than any other that I've done before.  Being able to take a hot shower every day, not have the stink of an outhouse, getting to eat out occasionally, and Nate taking over the rest of the cooking definitely made it enjoyable.  =)  The nice, cool weather helped too.  In my experience, camping has always been hot and sweaty during the day and a little bit miserable.  In Oregon, the highs were in the upper 60's.  It was pure bliss!

I'm still not sure what possessed us to schedule the trip like we did.  We planned it back in March or April.  Somehow it ended up that we would be leaving for Oregon the same day that Nate would be getting back from Scout Camp and we would be in Oregon during finals week of my summer semester.  Not our best bit of planning, but we pulled it off.  

So I spent the week before our trip being a crazy woman.  I had lots of school assignments to do plus taking my finals early and getting ready for the trip.  Nate was gone to Scout Camp from Thursday until Saturday.  Thanks to a lot of help from family, (Nate's parents were in town and watched the kids while I did some of my finals and my mom took them Friday night and all day Saturday so I could finish up assignments and get the packing done) we managed to get everything done and were ready to leave late Saturday night.  

We decided to take our car, a Chevy Impala, rather than our Jeep Commander.  The Commander has more room and is much more comfortable for long drives, but the Impala gets 10 to 15 miles per gallon more than the Jeep and on a long drive that translates into a couple of hundred dollars worth of difference.  

Much to my amazement, Nate managed to pack everything we would need into the trunk of our Chevy Impala.   In order to save space, we didn't take up all of our food for the trip.  We just packed what we would need for the first day or two and then planned to get groceries in Oregon.

It's a 15 hour drive to where we were staying.  Nate prefers to do long drives through the night so that the kids can sleep and there's a lot less traffic.  The drive was pretty uneventful.  The kids slept pretty well most of the way.  We arrived at our campsite at Umpqua Lighthouse State Park in the mid-afternoon on Sunday. 

The campground was nice and peaceful.  There was a lake, Lake Marie, near the campground and it's just a short drive down to the lighthouse and the ocean.   The first thing we did after getting the tent set up was to take a nice long nap.  That night we roasted hot dogs and s'mores for dinner.  We walked down to check out the lake.  There's a 1 mile trail that goes around the lake and there is a small sandy beach area for playing or swimming.  The rest of the evening we just relaxed in camp.  Then we slept to the sound of the ocean waves crashing on the rocks and the foghorn of the lighthouse in the distance. 

On Monday the first order of business was to get a few groceries.  So we went to the Safeway in Reedsport.   That store is tiny!  You can barely get your cart through the aisles.  The clerk informed us that we had great timing.  We had just missed the annual Dune Fest that had been that weekend.  Apparently the town is pretty much overrun by people and their dune buggies and the store had lots of problems with overcrowding and stealing.  She said she was so glad to see them all go.  

After a healthy breakfast at McDonald's, (yes, that's how I cook when I camp) we headed back to camp.  Then we decided to go check out the pier where people were doing some crabbing.  First we had to walk on the beach.  This was the first time any of our kids had been to the ocean and they were so excited to walk in the sand in their bare feet and look for seashells.  

After getting sufficiently wet and sandy, we walked down the pier to watch the crabbing.  Two gentlemen were kind enough to explain everything to the kids and let them watch as they pulled in their crabs and sorted out the ones that had to be thrown back.  

We spent the rest of Monday at our campsite.  The kids loved playing in the dirt and Jonah even found a little "camouflage" spot in the bushes where he and Lilly liked to set up their chairs and hang out.  I took this picture right after Jonah said, "Mom! I bet you can't see me.  I blend right in!"

 That night, after everyone was in their pajamas and it had gotten dark, we decided to drive over to the lighthouse so that the kids could see it lit up.  The kids loved seeing how the lights danced on the trees and out into the ocean. 

Daddy & Jayne at the lighthouse. 

Well, that's about it for part one of our adventure.  Be sure to read part two about our adventures at the Shore Acre Gardens, Coos Bay, Bandon, and Florence. 

Zoorassic Park

We absolutely love going to the Hogle Zoo!  This summer they have what they are calling "Zoorassic Park".  There are huge dinosaur replicas placed all around the zoo.  Jonah has been asking to go ever since he first saw an advertisement for it.  We finally made it out there a couple of weeks ago.  The kids loved finding all of the dinosaurs and seeing the animals as well. 

Jayne just had to check out the inside of this T-Rex's mouth

We had to ride the carousel!  Twice!

Lilly on her turkey. 

They had this T-Rex set up for photos.  The kids loved climbing up on his back!

We're really looking forward to seeing the new arctic section of the zoo that they're working on.  They had lots of pictures and diagrams of what it's going to be like.  Our kids love the zoo so much that they went again with Grandma Laurie a week later and still had a wonderful time.   Plus, it's a great way to tire them out and ensure a nice, long family afternoon nap. ;)

24th of July Float Preview Party

The 24th of July is a holiday here in Utah known as Pioneer Day.  It's when we celebrate the arrival of the pioneers to the Salt Lake Valley.  As part of the festivities, there is a huge parade in downtown Salt Lake.  The week before the parade, all of the floats are on display at an expo center in Sandy.  I decided to take the kids down and see what it was all about.  That place was crazy!  There was a high school marching band performing (which echoed like mad in that place), balloon artists and clowns making balloon animals for the kids, face painting, a couple of games, and of course the floats.  I didn't get too many pictures since I did this outing as the sole adult and pretty much had my hands full just keeping all three kids close by and making sure they weren't run over by some of the over-eager float viewers.  Yes, that really was happening.  
The floats were amazing!  It's so cool to see them up close and really notice the details and see how much work is put into them.  Many of them had moving parts and played music.  We walked around to see all of the floats, got the kids' faces painted (or arm in Jonah's case), and got balloon animals for each of them.

Jonah got a spider on his wrist, Lilly got a tiger eye, and Jayne got a ladybug on her forehead (she didn't want it on her cheek). 

Tiger Lilly with her butterfly.

Jonah got a snake balloon.

Jayne showing off her ladybug.  It had glitter and everything. 

Tracy Aviary

While Nate's parents and sister were in town back in July, we decided to visit the Tracy Aviary in Salt Lake City.  I've lived in Utah all my life and had never been to the aviary before but I'd heard it was pretty neat.  We went on a weekday and were happy to find that it wasn't crowded at all.  The kids really loved seeing all the exotic species of birds there and I must admit, I thought it was pretty cool too.  We even took in the "Eat or be Eaten" bird show.  They talked about the difference between birds of prey and birds that usually are prey to other animals.  They brought out all kinds of birds and even got Grandma Barnum to volunteer to have one of the birds hop on her arm like a branch! 

Lilly was very good at consulting her map.

My crazy birds!

Golden Eagle

Jonah and Daddy hamming it up!

Yes, I really was there!

Daddy & Jayne coming down from the tree house in Owl Village

The kids really liked Owl Village.  It was full of fun facts about owls as well as plenty of things to climb on and explore.  
 If you've never been to the Aviary, I highly recommend it.  Our family loved it and will definitely be going back.

Camping with the Culbertsons

You can all breathe a sigh of relief and rejoice!  I found the camera cord!  That means we have some catching up to do.  We're going all the way back to July 7th!  We went camping with my mom, one of my sisters, and one of my brothers.  We went to Payson Lakes Campground.  Nate and I had never been there before.  It was very pretty and our campsite was nice and secluded.  Jake brought his fabulous trailer, Mom and Sarah had their tent, and we, of course, brought our lovely tent that we acquired last summer.  

Got the tent set up and we are ready to camp!

As the name of the campground implies, there was a lake nearby.  Jake had brought all of his fishing gear and was so kind to let the kids fish with him.  I don't know much of anything about fishing except that I don't like to do it.  Jake was so patient and good with the kids.  He helped them each bait their hooks and cast their lines more times than I can count.  Sadly, no one caught anything.  But it wasn't for lack of trying, that's for sure. 

The Beautiful Lake

Jonah casting his line all by himself

Lilly loved holding her fishing pole!

Even Jayne gave it a try

Being silly by the lake!

Jayne is ready with the net!

Time for a Cheeto break.  Every time Jayne pulled a Cheeto out of the bag she had to say the line from the movie "Despicabe Me"....."Aw, my caterpillar never turned into a butterfly" then she'd get you to tell her that it's not a caterpillar and she'd say "Oh, well."  and pop it into her mouth.  She seriously went through this routine with every single Cheeto that day. 

Grandma Laurie trying to stay warm and dry.

We got rained on quite a bit.  But what fun is camping if you don't get a little muddy, right?  
My mom and Sarah kept the kids entertained with fun activities, crafts, and even a treasure hunt.  

Jayne, Jonah, & Lilly sporting the visors that they decorated.

Hunting for treasure

Chilling around the campfire waiting for the foil dinners to cook.

Getting crafty with Aunt Sarah

Uncle Jake, Aunt Sarah, Grandma Laurie, Jonah, & Lilly roasting hot dogs. 

After the rain, came the rainbow.  This picture doesn't do it justice. 

And then of course, there was a beautiful sunset that just lit the sky with gold!

It was a short camping trip, just two nights, but it was a lot of fun.  Thanks Jake for bringing you trailer and for helping the kids with their fishing.  Thanks Mom and Sarah for keeping the kids happy.  We had a wonderful time!

"The Lost Camera Cord" and/or "My Endless List of Excuses"

I can't tell you how many times I have thought about updating this blog in the last few weeks.  Seriously, it's got to be in the thousands at least!  And then when I finally sat down to do it I couldn't find the cord that connects my camera to my computer.  So I figured I'd just wait until I found the cord because a blog post about our camping adventure or swimming lessons just isn't the same without pictures to go with it.  So, yeah, that was a week ago.  Other excuses for my recent lack of blogging include, but are not limited to:

• Trying to finish up the last few weeks of my semester one week early because we're going on vacation during finals week
• Reading and listening to way too much environmental chemistry
• Finishing all my statistics assignments for the entire semester(which I did on Monday, thank you very much!)
• Shuttling the kiddos to swim lessons
• Trying to have some fun outings with the kids while they're all on summer break
• Writing observation papers for middle childhood development
• Various cub scout activities
• Running
• Family get-togethers with the in-laws
• Losing that ridiculous cord that I only have one of!

Anyhoo, I just wanted to pop by and let the world (by that I mean my mother and the very few who like to read about our crazy life so that they can feel better about their own) know that we are still here and exciting adventures are occurring and as soon as I turn my house upside down and find that blasted tiny cord that I KNOW I put in a "special place"(which is code for a never ending abyss of blackness) I WILL post about them!

4th of July!

Well, I hope you all had a wonderful Independence Day!  I started mine by running in the local 5K race.  There weren't very many runners, but it was fun and I was planning to do a run that morning anyway.  I finished in 32 minutes, which isn't fast, but it's not super slow either.  I really liked having a finish line at the end of my run. =) 
Nate had to work all day.  My mom and sisters came down and brought the kids to the park where the race ended and we had breakfast there.  Then we went home and got all cleaned up for the parade. 
The kids loved the parade!  All three of them were cheering and clapping and dancing throughout the entire thing. 

We got rained on this year.  It's a good thing Grandma Laurie brought her umbrella!

 After the parade, Grandma Laurie(my mom) treated us to pizza at our house.  We checked out the booths and carnival at the park. I have to say I was a bit disappointed.  The carnival prices were ridiculous and the booths were sparse and mostly just things for sale, no fun little games for the kids or anything. But we did get a cute picture from West Bench Photography's photo booth and the kids played a couple of overpriced carnival games and then we hit the playground before deciding to come home and play in the kids' pool.  

The kids' cute photo booth pic.  They got their faces, well arms in the girls' case, painted. 

We did a few fireworks of our own before bed.  

It's the little things in life, right? =)

The girls were exhausted and went right to sleep.  Jonah stayed awake and watched all the aerial fireworks going off around the neighborhood and then watched the Magna fireworks from the front porch with Mom and Dad.  
It was a fun and busy day.  And we all paid for it on the 5th. =)