Wedding

My brother Paul got married a couple weeks ago and for us that meant road trip!!! To SUNNY California!  We could not have asked for better weather, especially with all the snow and rain we have been getting.  It was a fun weekend seeing family and gaining a sister-in-law. 

In-N-Out



The Pacific Ocean



Thanksgiving

This year we traveled over the river and through the woods to my granmother's house...in snow.  There was lots of delicious food and a house full of family to share it with.  My uncle's family made the drive from Minnesota as well and it was great to see them.

My family is full of musicians, specifically singers.  That being noted, we sing our prayers and this year the Doxology was nothing less than 8-part harmony.  Even Happy Birthday is in full harmony (and we even had a Thanksgiving birthday!).  You may think us strange, but it would give you chills!  It really is a lot of fun. 

This year we had the extra joy of snow!  We had a great time outside trying to throw snowballs at each other (usually my dad).  And of course, Thanksgiving pre-dinner wouldn't be the same without looking through ALL the Black Friday ads and planning our route for the morning (or lack of one). 

pumpkin patch

OK, its time to get caught up!!  Life has been a little crazy around here, but what else is new?! 

In October, we took our annual outing to the pumpkin patch.  This is a tradition Daren and I have been doing since we were dating!  It just isn't Halloween without it!  We like to visit different farms and this year we went to Thomasson Family farm in Enumclaw.  They are a working farm complete with livestock!!  It is very kid friendly and we highly recommend it.  We had fun wandering the pumpkin field, petting the animals, playing in the corn pit, and racing rubber duckies! 

Oktoberfest 2010

This year we traveled to Leavenworth to enjoy the Oktoberfest festivities!  This is our 2nd year and am sure this is becoming an annual trip.  If you have never been to Leavenworth, it is a Bavarian village in our own Washington backyard.  We have camped the last 2 years (cheaper than hotels and within walking distance) and had even more fun this year.  The weather was warm (80degrees) and we even polka'd!  We traveled with our friends, the Swensons, which always makes for an entertaining trip!  Sarah and I got on stage with our favorite band S-Bahn and did some singing.  There was also a lot of Chicken Dancing going on!!!


Daren and Jen



Sarak and Mike (apparently we also like to color coordinate...)



60 More Miles for a Cure

I walked all 60 miles in the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for a Cure (thanks in part to my friend Sarah who walked with/ahead of me all weekend!)!! And, thanks to everyone’s generosity, Seattle raised over $6 million for breast cancer research. 

It was, once again, a memorable weekend.  Team Tracy had 21 fearless members this year.  Our team leader and two-time survivor, Tracy, was nominated and chosen to carry the “Courage” banner during opening and closing ceremonies.  It is an amazing and emotional experience to share, even among sea of 2300 strangers.  In spite of a little rain, we walked 22.5 miles through Bothell, Mill Creek, and Everett (just north of Seattle).  

         

Day 2 was sunny and 73 degrees!  We walked 21.7 miles through Everett and the cheering stations were amazing!!  There were people, young and young-at-heart, on every street corner, cheering and handing out treats.  The out-pouring of support was overwhelming and so welcome!  It is always humbling to see why we walk – photos of mothers, daughters, sisters, aunts, grandmothers, friends displayed along our path with a simple “thank you”.  Those little reminders help push through another Komen “mile” (the ones they say are a mile but are really closer to two…)!

         

Day 3 – Seattle!  I love the last day because it is familiar and I know where I am!!  After packing our tents, we boarded buses and headed to North Seattle.  We wandered the remaining miles through the rain (in the morning) up Capitol Hill, through downtown and the Waterfront to the Space Needle.  Closing ceremonies was amazing as we paid tribute to those still fighting, honored those who have gone before, and celebrated those who will, hopefully, never have to fight Breast Cancer.  Even if you don’t walk, I recommend you experience Closing Ceremonies and what the 3-Day is all about.

Despite a few blisters (less than last year!), I fulfilled my goal for the weekend: to walk all 60 miles with a smile!  Some steps were a little more difficult than others, but what an accomplishment.  Thank you to everyone that donated and shared words of encouragement!  I could not have done it without you.

Thank you!

Because everyone deserves a lifetime

With blisters still healing, there is talk of registering for 2011…

3-day 2010

Here are some photos from the 3-day.  More to follow!!

Jen and Sarah pre-walk

Jen and Sarah with 1/2 mile (out of 60) to go!!

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Look, its the "Tracy" in "Team Tracy"

Papa

Lewie "Papa" Speer
10 March 1936 - 7 September 2010

(Daren's maternal grandfather)

Twilight Zone

Labor Day weekend we traveled to the peninsula to visit my mom's family in Forks, WA.  It was wonderful!!  Almost everyone made it out and we had so much fun!  Its like our own private retreat.  We played games, watched football, ate delicious food, sat in the hot tub, and even found time to take a Twilight tour (the self-guided one).  I don't know who was a bigger Twi-hard, my mom or my 12-year old cousin!!



We did a lot of swinging too!




Twi-hard!





cousins



ferry trip to Forks

Yum

Tonight we had a delicious salad and it had veggies from our garden!  I'm not gonna lie, it was pretty exciting.  There were also fresh green beans to munch on (Oscar loved them!).  We recently signed up for fresh fruits and veggie delivery (love Full Circle Farm) so we used lettuce and spinach from our box. 

I think I should be living in the country...or at least on more land!  This weekend I also canned pickles.  I will know how they turned out in 4-6 weeks!  I DON'T THINK I CAN WAIT THAT LONG!!!!  :)  It was a lot of fun and hopefully will continue to do more of this! 

I also made raspberry jam a few weeks ago

That is probably one of the things I love about fall: the cooking and the wonderful food!  No wonder we need to go on diets in the spring!

2 Weeks until 60 miles!

So apparently the 3-Day is only TWO weeks away!!!!! Here is probably my last update until after the walk.  :)

First, thank you to everyone that has, and continues to donate! I finally found the messages that you have sent and am so blessed to have your support. Also, thank you to everyone that doanted items to our yardsale! It was a huge success and a lot of fun!!

 

Second, there are still ways you can get involved in the 3-Day event...and I don't mean walking...this year!

You can send letters or notes that will be delivered to us the weekend of the event!

Letters can be sent to:

3-Day for the Cure

ATTN: INSERT NAME OF PARTICIPANT

PO Box 31609

Seattle, WA 98103

Envelopes only, please. No boxes or large packages. Mail must be postmarked no later than September 14 in order to ensure delivery at the Komen 3-Day for the Cure Camp Post Office.

You can find more spectator information at this link Spectator Info including details for Opening and Closing Ceremonies.

There is also a friend of Team Tracy organizing Cheering Stations for Team Tracy supporters - and will be there to coordinate and hand out "Team Tracy" signs that we had printed. If you would like to come out and join them and meet us along the route at a cheering station...please let me know and I will pass on the email address for Katie.

Thank you again for all your support. Without you, I would not be able to participate in this life changing event.

Walking because everyone deservs a lifetime,
Jennifer Rice

How does your garden grow?

This spring I planted a garden. I had been thinking about it and finally just went out there and did it (seems to be a theme). We already had some garden boxes in place (thanks Uncle Mark) but they needed a major overhaul since they were very overgrown. Daren and I spent an entire afternoon pulling out plants, removing dirt and large rocks, and refilling with new soil. We even hacked off an end of the grapevines (yes, we have those too! Two types if you want any)! Eventually we finished and it was useable!

I had already started to grow cucumbers and those were ready to go into the ground. I also planted green beans, carrots, and now tomatoes all from seedlings. I tried watermelon but I just can’t seem to get them to grow. I am also enjoying potted basil and (almost) cilantro on my back porch.

carrots

The most exciting part of my newly discovered green thumb…the blueberry bushes have been revived!!! I thought I had killed them (that happens when you don’t take care of them!). They were basically just branches but, several pots of recycled coffee grounds later, they now have leaves! Now to focus on getting the strawberries to actually produce berries…

I don’t know how much I will actually harvest from my little garden. I knew it was late to be planting, but hey, it’s Seattle – our seasons are a little off. I do have a few cucumbers though and the beans are running so we’ll see!!!

Alki 5K

This weekend Daren and I both ran in the Northwest Hope and Healing 5k on Alki (funds help breast cancer patients). It was a little cold at the beginning but we both had a good run (considering we never trained). It is a great course because it is along the beach and it is flat. This year they even blocked off the street. We also enjoyed seeing friends and cheering for each other…or in Daren’s case, challenging one! Since last year’s run, he and our friend Samantha (she’s 11) have been waiting to challenge one another. Unfortunately, it was not Sam’s year to beat him but they will race again!!


Next race, Brat Trot in Burien!!

Change is good!

Ever feel like you just needed a change? Something just needs to be different? That is where I am right now. Things have been a little stressful at work and home and just about every place in my life for the last couple months (or longer) and I am just tired...of where I am, of who I have become,  So I did something a little drastic today and their is no turning back...or at least until it grows out  :)

my hair this morning...

and this evening (don't let the smirk fool you, I LOVE IT!!!)

For those of you know part, or even all, of what has been going on in our crazy world, thank you for letting me loose it a few times.  I appreciate it.  Right now we are trying to figure out what direction we should be traveling in and could use some prayers for patience and guidance which is a tough thing to ask and wait for!

Here's to a new tomorrow!!  Who knows what I will come up with then!!!!!  :)

10 years already?!?!

Can you believe it has been 10 years since we graduated?!  We can't!!  Just look at how far we have come and how much we have changed in those years...

We met up with classmates on Saturday at Lincoln Park to BBQ.  It was a hot but we had a blast!  There were 12 class mates which is a third of our class...yes a third.  I would say that is pretty good considering we don't know where a third is and the other third was unable to attend or out of state/country!  It was fun to watch our next generation run around and play together!

Class of 2000 (part of us)

Our Little Rockstar

Oscar turned 2 in June and we celebrated in our favorite way, by hosting a BBQ and spending the day with some of our favorite people!! We are fortunate to have both sides of our families close and able to travel (unfortunately, due to health issues, Daren’s grandparents were not able to be with us that day).

Here are some pictures from that day:

Oscar and my grandma Brandmire (his great-grandma) actually share a birthday…which she loves!

Oscar and my cousin Matthew (I love this picture!)

We're blogging...ok maybe just me

I have finally decided to take the plunge and join the blogging world! Hopefully you will find it witty and amusing (just like me!). It will also be a great way for those of you not close physically, to keep up with my crazy little family and with Oscar who is constantly changing. If nothing else, you can sit and enjoy my pictures!