First big ride

This is me after my first BIG ride! I went nearly 40 miles this morning at the break of day! I couldn't have done it alone though. My friend Marcie is an all-star biker, and is showing me the ropes. I feel... amazing after it is all done. Can't wait till next weekend's 62 miler!

We started by riding the ferry....

avoiding some low flying aircraft...

riding some hills past the cows, farms, llamas and watching the sun come up...

Rode a 130 ft elevator (only outdoor municipal elevator in US)

Cruised down some monster hills (after climbing them of course)...

Ended up walking the freeway to cross the river ...

Crossed through some of the most scenic parks around...

And ended up back at my doorstep!!!

My new bike

Maybe I'm a racer... maybe a cyclist... maybe a wishful thinker... but for now, I'm hitting the road! I finally got my new bike and I couldn't be more excited! !!! !!!! (hence all my exclamation points!!!!!)!!!!

The bike is perfect. Perfect size, perfect color, and buying it from really nice people made the experience even better. They took pristine care of it.

So, this weekend a friend and I went out and rode 24 miles at about 5 in the morning. It was out on a beautiful country road on an island. It was euphoric and I can't wait to go out again! The views were beautiful, the smells were a nice blend of cows, flowers, berries and fresh air right off the river. The picture below isn't me... but this was the road and one of the views that I had on Saturday morning.
When I figure out how to take pictures while riding... then I'll add more shots.

North Oregon Coast

Camping at the coast must start with salt water taffy and Seaside was the perfect stop before we set up our site at Ft. Stevens SP. We each picked lots of our favorite flavors and ended up with sick tummy's from all the sugar!

We went on the bumper cars....

And when we got to the ocean... we found some good friends there who taught us a thing or two about skim boarding.

We played around sunken shipwrecks...

Spent the evenings and mornings here...

Ate a new treat called "Woofums"...

Master Chef...

Hiked the Astor column to launch glider planes.
Who would have thought the kids would end up in tears after they threw their planes off?

Played into our inner child and gawked at the Goonies house...

Waited for the Trolley to come and take us on a grand tour of Astoria...

Believe it or not... this is the place to get the best Fish and Chips you'll ever eat! We waited for 30 minutes in line.. and I'd do it again!
Played as a family...

Ate some sand for dessert...

Found "Battle stations" to let our imagines go WILD!

And had special time on "Simon and Mommy's" beach!

We didn't even get to see all that we wanted to. I guess we'll save the rest for next time!

The way we celebrated

For our anniversary we ran away for a night. We went hiking in the Gorge and then stayed the night at Skamania Lodge. LOVED IT!!!!!!

Here are a few pictures to remind me of the sweet and memorable time we had.

ten years ago

Ten years ago we were surrounded by the best people on earth! Our best friends and all our family came to support us on our journey together. I knew we would get to ten years.... and I can't wait to see twenty, thirty... fifty...

We look a little different, but one thing remains the same. I love this man! I guess my heart spoke to me clearly when my maturity couldn't even understand the gravity of what I was about to venture into.

My heart is full of gratitude and love and I suppose that is just what I am supposed to feel on an anniversary.

Rollin on the river

boat trip time lapse from Raina on Vimeo.

Baking

I love to bake!
I have never been a big fan of cooking, but baking takes on a whole different experience. It is usually done with joy, and less out of necessity. I love that baking gives me a sense of accomplishment. I get to start something and see it finished all the way through. I also love to see other people find joy in what I serve. When someone smiles and says they like it... it validates me in a way that I crave during my daily clean-up of trains, messy plates, spills, and bed making. I cannot bake often or else it would ruin my kitchen and my work-out routines effectiveness. But, the bonus in baking is that I get to sleuth into blogs, books, and recipe boxes to find something that excites me. Once I have the urge, it is hard to stop me... and a friend of mine started a blog that completely inspires me to bake cupcakes! Lizzy is doing fantastic with her blog, and she told me to try out her Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes with Almond Buttercream. WOWIE! I may not be able to take the pictures that she does of her works of art, but I had to take a photo of it because I think I LOVE it!

I am trying to pass along my joy of baking to my kids, so we made some Father's Day cookies and I let them decorate them (most of them) and I think they were really enjoying it. I forgot to take pictures as they decorated, but here are their masterpieces.

Birthday boy

Emile's birthday was this last week and I had so much fun celebrating him. He's a little quirky, and kinda immature at times, but during his 32 years... I have had the pleasure of spending 13 with him. 13 birthdays where I have seen him grow into a better man, a gifted father, and a devoted husband. I am certain these have been the best years of my life! It is not about me though, it is about him. Celebrating his life and how it has intertwined with mine makes me kind of sentimental and proud of all that we have accomplished together. He is capable of so much, and he makes me more secure in who I am and what I can become.

Happy Birthday!

Oh yeah.. and I made cupcakes. See... I think they were cute.

Learn to ride a bike

Here is our fool proof method for learning to ride a bike.

1. Own a bike.
2. Secure a really good helmet!
3. Put your running shoes on.
4. Go to a track with people so they can cheer you one (me for running, him for crashing and riding)
5. Bring a wrench. You will be adjusting the seat and the pedals.
6. Wear a back brace. (I wish I had figured this one out before hand)

Run, push, run, hold, run run run... scream with joy!
Trenton got it in NO time! We are SO excited for yet another milestone in his life!

Mother's Day

I love being a Mother!