First grad!

We have our first CE2 grad of the year! CONGRATS, JACOB!!!!!!

We're proud of you :)

Sunrise

I had to stop on my way to work and stare at this for a minute:

:)

The Jamblers

Straight out of college and armed with a degree in communications/video production, I was hired as a "news trainee" at KOIN-TV. All my experience was with production - editing, videography, etc., and I thought that's what I would be doing in the basement of the KOIN Tower in downtown Portland.

But on my first day as an eager but also terrified 21-year-old, I was told to write a script - for the evening news! I'd taken one script-writing class and certainly wasn't ready to actually write news scripts - for the anchors to read on the air! A producer named Gene helped me, and I faked my way through the shift.

That night, I went home in tears. This wasn't what I signed up for. I had no idea what I was doing. 

My family talked me down off the proverbial ledge, and I honored my commitment and returned to work. 

Throughout the year-long news trainee program, Gene became my mentor and taught me so much about news producing! His passion - and writing style - rubbed off on me, and armed with new writing and producing skills, I ended up having a very successful nine-year television and Internet news career! I credit (and blame!) Gene for that incredibly wild time in my life :)

We've both since retired from the TV news life, but music keeps us connected.

Almost every Christmas Eve, I look out at the Newberg Friends congregation and see Gene and his wife smiling at me, candles in hand, listening to my handbell choir. After the service, I run over and give him a big hug. I deeply love that tradition.

Gene's had in a couple bands, and he always lets me know when a gig comes up. If I'm around, I try to swing by and catch the act. Last Friday, Mom, Brad and I braved the wind and rainstorm and had an evening out at Blast Burger in Lake Oswego.

As always, the music was terrific! I thoroughly enjoy The Jamblers's bluegrassy sound.  

The meat connoisseurs in the group said the burgers were excellent! I also loved my mushroom burger and the fries I stole off Mom's plate :)

I'm so glad that a relationship that started so randomly has turned into an almost-20-year friendship. TWENTY YEARS?! I didn't realize that until I just typed it. WHOA. :)

Nos. 42 and 43

I've taken to listening to audio books while driving and doing chores around the house and then reading a "real" book before bed. Shortly after I finished No. 41 on my phone, I finished No. 42 on paperback:

Diane Mott Davidson's Killer Pancake was the next in one of my favorite culinary mysteries, purchased at the THS band garage sale. This one was about a retail scam and several murders. Good entertainment.

While waiting for my next Baldacci to be available for checkout from the library, I searched for Halloween audio books. This was about it: It's Halloween, You 'Fraidy Mouse!

So No. 43 was a silly kids' book. I thought it was funny to drive around town all by myself listening to a story about a scared mouse :)

No. 41

No. 41 was yet another audio book from the library: David Baldacci's Hour Game:

I finished the Camel Club series and am working through the King and Maxwell series. This mystery kept me guessing until the end. 

Now I'm on the waiting list for the next one :)

Graduation cookies

Jacob LOVES to eat. He's also about to graduate from CE2 - any day now!!!!

He asked if we could bake cookies to celebrate his accomplishment, and OF COURSE I agreed!

Jacob requested white chocolate - his favorite. He got to a good stopping spot in his studies this morning, and we hit the kitchen armed with THIS recipe. And because it's October, we added spooky Halloween sprinkles.

The cookies turned out great! We both sampled the treats before offering them to classmates. It's always best to share :)

Adventure Thursday: Cooper Mountain Nature Park

This summer, Dad and I had the idea to explore all the Metro parks. We started with Mount Talbert but never did any more... until this week! 

We went yesterday to Cooper Mountain Nature Park in Beaverton.

 

I'd been there just once before, several years ago with Brad, and it was Dad's first visit. He enjoyed the kiddie section near the parking lot:

We explored the area, hiking almost 3 miles through several different landscapes. They recently did a controlled burn in the meadow, so much of the area was scorched. I'm interested in returning next year to see how nature repairs itself after the fire. As for wildlife, we spotted a few birds and a snake!

The weather was perfect for hiking - coolish and a bit drippy with high overcast - my favorite :)

Such a fun, beautiful Adventure Thursday close to home!

:)

No. 40

Boy, I fly through the books when I'm listening to one and reading another!

No. 40 was David Baldacci's Hell's Corner, the final in his Camel Club series:

I listened while in the car, while doing chores, while walking at lunch. This one was a tad bit harder to follow while multitasking, but I still caught most of it. It's a good government/spy mystery, and I'll miss the series characters.

Baldacci has several series, and now I'm waiting for a King and Maxwell to be available for checkout :)

No. 39

No. 39 was Diane Mott Davidson's The Cereal Murders - another good culinary mystery. I always wonder why these amateur sleuths aren't more concerned over constantly finding bodies and getting attacked and harassed and such. And book after book after book! I'd be a wreck if my life was as messed up as theirs :)   

Happy October!!

:)