Summer in Oregon

This is the first summer in four years that I’ve been able to spend in Oregon. I wanted to document all the good times that we had during July. It was an eventful month filled with good times with family and friends.

Oneonta Creek (July 3rd)

We started the month off by taking a dip in one of the most beautiful places in the Gorge. It’s a little canyon off the side of the road with a beautiful waterfall at the end. In order to get to the falls you must climb over fallen trees and wade through water almost waist high. The water is freezing so the best time to go is on a hot summer afternoon.

Emily’s Birthday and Independence Day (July 4th)

I’ve missed the last three years of Independence Day and was so happy to finally be able to celebrate with Emily in America.

We started the day with a lovely breakfast of waffles and crepes. There was so much food and lots of people. Then we had the most spectacular parade that I have ever been to. I even got to be the Queen with my sisters. Just following in my mother’s footsteps.

After the parade we headed to Chuck e Cheese for some good ‘ol fashion fun. Then off to Vernonia for another parade and some fireworks.

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I haven’t had such a great 4th of July celebration in a long time. I loved every minute of it.

Seattle to Portland (July 11th)

The following weekend Rick, Natalie Baxter, and I rode from Seattle to Portland. A 203 mile bike ride that I never have to repeat. I was on my bike for 16 hrs and my rear end felt it by the end of the ride. I’m glad that I did but I’m also glad that I never have to do it again.

I had many hours on my bike to prepare for the following speech.

Bruce Reunion (July 14th)

A few days later we had a Bruce Reunion with some of my dearest friends from the pre-mission days. We had five of the six Bruce members at our house and others who always wanted to be a part of Bruce but were never actually accepted into the group. But unlike other cliques, Bruce loved all.

We gave the out of towners a tour of the Gorge. Stopped at Vista House then did the Ponytail Falls loop. After which we had a nice BBQ at Heid’s where we reminisced about the good old days.

Triple D Gone Double and Margethai’s Visit (July 17th and 18th))

The next weekend I wanted to hike the triple D: Mt Defiance, Dog Mountain, and Devil’s Rest. It’s a 26 mile hike with almost 10,00o ft of elevation gain. I started the first and hardest hike at 6 AM. A later start than I was planning so I had to hurry because I was meeting Margethai and Heidi at Dog Mountain. In order to save time I ran down the mountain, a decision that has cost me a great deal. My knees have not been the same since that 6 mile run down a 4900 ft mountain. Can someone say stupid? I made it to Dog Mountain about 1/2 hr later than planned and desperately tried to catch up to Heidi. I was in so much pain. I was already feeling the effects from Defiance and didn’t know if I would be able to summit Dog. We finally caught up to Heidi (mostly because she waited for me) and hiked the rest of the way together. The way down was painful on the legs. When we finally made it to the bottom I laid on a picnic bench and admitted defeat opting out of the 3rd mountain. Smart decision. I couldn’t move for the next three or four days. Poor Margethai had to spend the weekend with me as I limped everywhere we went.

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Sherwood Robin Hood Parade (July 18th)

Random but fun. One of Heidi’s many fun adventures that we’re always grateful for because it gives us a chance to get out of the house. I got to see lots of my old students. I sure do love them. I’m looking forward to seeing them again when I get back.

Direct Instruction Conference in Eugene (July 20th – July 23rd)

I spent the following week at a conference in Eugene. I met some amazing people and made some great connections. So grateful for the chance to learn more about the curriculum that I’ll be using for the school in Zambia.

My friend moved to California this week. I was sad to see him go.

Family Reunion at Yellowstone (July 24th – July 28th)

This was our first attempt at a family reunion. We got almost everyone there. We really missed having Mike and Stacie’s family with us. We spent our first night in Boise with the Crockett’s, our dear dear cousins. It’s always so fun visiting them.

The next morning we drove to Island Park. Mark, Dad, and I had just a bit of a struggle finding the cabin instead of the lodge. We all finally got to the lodge and proceeded to laugh, play, eat, and rest for the next three days. Sunday was church in Island Park and Yellowstone. Monday was an attempt at the lake and hanging at the lodge. Tuesday we cleaned up and headed home. The weather was awesome with thunder and lighting storms. It was so nice having most of the family in one spot. I loved having the kids around and playing with the siblings and spouses and pops. Such a great weekend. Hoping we’ll be able to do it again next August.

Bridal Showers for Cathleen and Mercedes (July 30th and July 16th)

We’ve had lots of wedding’s in our ward among which were my sweet friends Cathleen and Mercedes. I sure do love them.

Kara’s Visit (July 30th – Aug 3rd)

I’m not really a best friends kind of person. I have two sisters and they fit the role of best friend pretty well. There are only two other people that I would consider a “best friend” from my childhood days and sweet Kara Jones Sommer would be one of them. We grew up together from Junior High on and spent many hours at each other’s homes. Every once in a while we get a visit from her in Oregon. It’s always so good for my soul to be in her presence. Her kids are delightful and even though she’s going to be excommunicated we still like her.

Friday we spent the day up Eagle Creek basking in the sun at Punch Bowl Falls. Kara’s Goddess nature was realized as we swam to the waterfall. We then did some cliff jumping. Nothing major but it still gave us a little thrill.

These kids are adorable.

After Punch Bowl Falls we headed to a baseball game. My only memory of that was how gross and dirty everything was. Beer and urine all over the place (not so much the urine but it might as well have been). We did get to eat peanuts, licorice, and ice cream so I guess it was worth it.

We spent the next day at the beach where I was planning to get some sun and was sorely disappointment when I froze the whole time. The Oregon Coast is tricky business. Beautiful but definitely not for sun bathing.

Sprint Triathlon (August 1st)

Triathlon’s have been on my list of things to do every since I started the list. I’ve never had the opportunity to do one because of timing and other events that I’ve trained for, so when my friend, Marianne, told me about the Blue Lakes All Womens Triathlon I jumped at the opportunity to join. It was so much fun. Come to find out, I am a terrible swimmer. Who knew? Seriously, I think I was the last to get out of the water in my age division and perhaps the two divisions that came after me. Guess it gives me something to work on. The biking was my favorite part. My next goal is an Olympic triathlon.

Backpacking

I have a deep love and passion for backpacking. There are few things in life that I'd rather do than backpack. There's something about packing everything I'll need to survive on my back for days at a time. I love to be outside. I always tell my students that if there was any way we could have class outside everyday, rain or shine, I'd do it. I love the fact that my only concerns in life are when I'm going to eat my dinner and where I'm going to set up camp for the night. I love pitching my tent and taking it down. I'm quite particular about that one. I love organizing everything in my backpack over and over again. I love walking for hours and hours to my next destination. I love the fact that my mind is so clear. I'm the most content when I'm backpacking.

This summer I got to go on some amazing backpacking trips. I'm super grateful for fabulous friends who share my same passion.

Glacier National Park w/ my home teacher

I wish I could take credit for the following photos but when you're backpacking with Art Wolfe it's best to leave the picture taking up to him.
I so desperately wanted to see a bear but at the same time was terrified that I might. I spent the first few hours of the hike making as much noise as I could so as to not startle the bears. It was all in vain...we never saw any. Everyone we talked to had but we weren't as lucky.

We went over Memorial Day Weekend. We drove all through the night on Thursday (well not so much me as my HT...I mostly just slept), started hiking Friday morning, camped Friday and Saturday night, hiked out Sunday, and drove through the night Sunday. It was a lot of driving but well worth the beautiful scenery that we saw.

Upper Muley Twist Canyon w/ Shells and Crow

There's nothing like good Southern Utah backpacking with two of my dearest friends, Shells and Crow.  Upper Muley Twist is rated five stars in my favorite hiking book and it definitely lived up to its rating.  It was amazing.  Typical Southern Utah with the beautiful red rock and amazing slot canyons.  We started our hike at about 4 PM.  Left our packs 3 miles in and hiked 9 miles through the rest of the canyon.  We finally got back to our packs at 11 PM.  It was an adventure hiking in the dark.  We got up the following morning and hiked out.  It was exactly what I needed.

The Redwoods w/ Scotty

I guess this would have to be my favorite backpacking trip this summer.  I went to the Redwoods with my fam when I was younger but we never experienced the joys of backpacking there.  We covered lots of ground and saw lots of different terrain.  It was spectacular 

Day 1: Drove to Redwoods.  Hiked 8 miles to campsite on the beach.

Day 2: Hiked along the beach for most of the day.  We saw lots of elk, a seal, cool birds, and lots of people.  I love hiking along the beach.  From the mouth of Scotty, "When you're hiking on the beach, everything seems real far but real close at the same time." Profound my friend and so true.  We watched the sunset…well I watched the sunset, Scott fell asleep on the sand waiting for the sunset.  He missed out.  It was beautiful.

Day 3: Hiked out and drove to next destination: Redwood Creek Trail.  This is the day where stubborn Heather kicked in.  The hike was along a creek.  It was a beautiful day and I couldn’t bear hiking on a trail when I could just walk in the water.  Scott stayed on the trail and I ditched for the water.  We lost each other for a bit and in order to save me Scott made a sign so I’d know which way to go.  We eventually caught up to each other and all was well.

Day 4:  This was my favorite day of  the whole trip.  We got up in the morning and went for a walk in the Tall Trees Grove.  Amazing!  There’s no way to capture how beautiful it was.  Then we packed up and hiked a few miles on the trail and spent the last five walking down the river.  It was nice and relaxing.  We ended our day with some great seafood in Crescent City and a long drive home with lots of taking turns driving so we wouldn’t fall asleep.

My family!!!

I am the luckiest girl in the world. I know I might be kind of partial but I have the greatest family.

My brothers are funny, kind, and willing to give me (and have given me) anything I need. They've given up their home, their car, their time, their money, their children, and their love for me more times that I could ever remember. I want to thank you, my dear brothers, for your love. You all mean the world to me and I want you to know how much I love you.

My brother's wives are even better than my brothers. I know those boys wouldn't be half of who they are if it weren't for the three of you. Thank you for always caring about me and the drama in my life. I wish I lived closer to you. I love you.

My sister's husbands deserve medals for having to put up with the extension of their wife (that would be me). They had no idea when they married my sister's that I came with the package. They have taken such good care of me and have come to my aid over and over again. One time I mentioned to Rick that something was wrong with my bike. Two minutes later he was outside fixing the problem. I'm not even sure I asked him to look at it. He just did it. As an old single woman it sure is nice having Rick and Jake around whenever I need to be rescued. Thank you for taking care of me and for allowing me to be such a big part of your family.

My Dad (sure is hard to write this with all the tears blurring my vision) is the world's greatest Dad. He is my voice of reason. When I need good sound advice I call my Pops. He keeps me sane and has the ability to help me see that everything is going to work out. We went to lunch the other day and I realized that I truly am my father's daughter and for that I am very grateful. He is a good man and has taught me how to live a good life. Thank you for everything Pops, I love you.

My mom, although her presence is greatly missed, I feel like she has never left my side.

My nieces and nephews are the sunshine of my life, all thirteen of you. I wish there was some way for me to show you how much you mean to me. You bring me more joy than you could ever know. Your smiles, your laughs, your sweet little voices and really deep voices, your hugs and kisses, your constant desire to play, your never ending love has made my life so full. Thank you for your unconditional love. Thank you for your resilience. Thank you for lighting up every time you see me. I miss you the most when I am in Africa. I miss you the most when I'm anywhere but with you. I love you and always look forward to any opportunity I have to be in your presence.

My sisters...well...let's just say I will never be able to repay them for all they've given me. They are incredible examples to me. They are what I want to be like when I grow up. I couldn't live this life without them. They truly are my right and left arms. Their selflessness amazes me. They know every little tiny detail about my entire life and never complain when I'm sharing it with them. They are the official removers of DDD. They are the first phone call I ever make. They are my security. They know me better than anyone and their love never stops. I have shared the happiest and hardest times of my life with them. I don't know how I was so blessed to have two of God's greatest masterpieces as my sisters. Heid and Steph, you'll never know how much you mean to me but I'll spend the rest of my life trying to show you. I love you!!!

To my dear sweet family, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas. I wish there were better words to use to thank you for what you have all given me. Bette Midler says it best, you truly are the wind beneath my wings :) I love you all!!!

Time for a new post!

The thing is, I'm just not a very good picture taker. I would love to be better at documenting my life but I'd rather just live the moment than worry about remembering it. This inability to be a good photographer has led to the lack of postings on my blog. Nobody wants to read a blog without pictures. So I've come up with a few fun pictures to help create a new post. Mostly, I should be writing a paper right now about teacher directed vs student centered teaching practices. Would you rather blog or right a paper about that? Seriously!

Morning commute:

The other morning I stopped to take a picture of my morning commute to work (please refer to the above paragraph whenever you feel the desire to critique my photos).


There's nothing like watching the sunrise, looking past a bird refuge, with the silhouette of Mt Hood. It almost makes going to work everyone morning worth it.

Birthdays:

We've had fun celebrating Abbie and Jaxon's birthdays. Any excuse to have a party. We made Graham Cracker Castles for Abbie's birthday. Nothing better than graham crackers with frosting and lots and lots of candy.

Trip to Utah:

No pics of this but it was sure a fun trip. Thanks again Miriam for making it happen. I sure love being with those brother's of mine and their sweet little children. Can't wait to see you again at Christmas.

Halloween:

I love Halloween with the nieces and nephews. A friend of mine said it best when he said, "Halloween is much better when you have kids." Amen to that. We trick-or-treated for almost three hours, all five adults and six children. Sage was a die hard. Abbie was intense. Connor was content. Emily was just along for the ride. Jaxon didn't have a choice. Holly just needed a sucker in her mouth at all times. Rick pushed the stroller. Heidi smiled and tried to make everyone happy even if we never found the full size candy bars that we were promised. Stephanie had a nice butt in those foxy pants. I made sure everyone got candy. And finally Jake...you haven't experienced trick or treating until you've done it with Jake. He DOESN'T MESS AROUND. If there's a door to be knocked he'll knock it. He takes Jaxon by the hand and runs to every door on the street. He is the most driven trick or treater I have ever met. He brings a whole new dimension to the activity and I love it! Thanks for making it so fun.

Creativity is not a gift I was blessed with. The only reason I continue to move to different states and different schools is so that I don't have to come up with another Halloween costume. Hence the reason why I have to move to Africa next year. The Zambians will love it. This year I dressed up as...

(These are the only two roommates I've had while I've been in Oregon. Aren't they just adorable?)

St Helens:

I've been wanting to hike St Helens ever since I moved to Oregon. I finally had the opportunity at the end of September. The whole weekend was a blast. I laughed the entire way down (going up was a different story). The girls were served breakfast in bed because it was too cold to get out of our sleeping bags. It's nice to be spoiled every once in a while. There's nothing like the feeling you get after summiting a mountain.

End of Summer Fun

After I got back from Africa I made a list of all the things I needed to get done in the near future. I've managed to cross a few things off the list but every time I look at it I see the word...BLOG! So I started this blog about the women in Africa over a month ago and I just can't seem to complete it. It's hard to explain how incredible these women are so I've decided to continue to postpone the women of Africa post and move on to something not as heavy. Here's a little recap into the post-Africa, pre-job life of Heather Raddatz.

The adjustment from Zambia to America was a little more difficult this year than it has been in years past. I spent the rest of my summer with my family trying my best to feel comfortable in my American skin.

The first fun event was Stephanie's play. My sisters are amazing. Stephanie has performed on a number of occasions and I have been fortunate enough to attend most of these events. I know I may be biased but my sister has, hands down, the most incredible voice of anyone I've ever heard. It is such a delight to listen to her sing. She performed as Nephi's wife in the play "With Mine Own Hand." It was fabulous.

(Stephanie thinks the blue headband in the picture below is too big. I totally disagree.)

Second big adventure was a trip to Crater Lake with my pops, Steph, and her two adorable children. It was a quick two day trip and well worth the drive and all the exciting drama.

The following weekend was Hood to Coast. I should be writing a whole blog about H2C adventures. Let's just say I was on the greatest team of all time. (For those of you who read this blog and were on my team from last year, please disregard that last statement.) There's just something about being in a suburban rather than a car that makes the whole Hood to Coast experience much more pleasant.

(Please take note that I am the only one without a medal. Apparently, the slowest person on the team is not rewarded with such an honor.)

(I love this picture of tiny Heidi in front of these big burly men. It makes her look so tough.)

After Hood to Coast I had the great pleasure of watching my sister's kids while she and her husband celebrated their tenth anniversary kayaking on the Puget Sound. That might sound fun except for the fact that it was freezing cold the whole time they were there. They should have stayed home and played with us. We had much more fun.

Took a trip to the OMSI for free (anything for free is fantastic).

Played at the castle park. Okay, let's be honest, I sat on the bench and yelled at the kids to keep their eye on Holly so she didn't fall and crack her head open. But look everyone is smiling, almost.

Then we went bowling. This picture is classic. Depicts our time at the bowling alley perfectly. I sure do love these kids. They are just a bundle of joy. Sure wish my siblings would go away more often. There's nothing more fun than playing mom for the weekend. Love it.

I also visited with a dear family from my mission. Sure love those Spradlin's, they've always treated me like gold.

And after all that...school started...and...the fun stopped.

Okay, not really. The fun continues but I don't have any more pictures to prove it. We did have a wonderful b-day party for Heidi, went on a fun camping trip with the fam, and I've had a blast playing with all my wonderful Oregon friends. Life is good!!!

And finally, one of the greatest battle wounds of all time. Isn't it a beauty? Wish I could make the picture a little bigger and some how make it look like there's a lot more blood gushing down my leg. Sigh...