Hamik O'Hana

ABK FALL MEET 2010 - GO CHASE!

2010-09-26T00:12:00.000-07:00

Chase did awesome at her first meet at her new gym...America's Best Kids. She was so nervous, she didn't sleep for 3 days because she was running her routines over and over. She was within .025-.10 all meet of taking it all but what a great first step into a new realm of competition!

Cascade Lakes Relay 2010

2010-08-02T09:08:00.000-07:00

Here's the album...the pics say it all...except that I didn't feel in shape. I ran the 10 mile hill climb at Granite Man the week before and thought, hey, if I can train 5-6 miles I'll surely be able to push it to 10 for the race...I did. So I thought that theory would work for CLR since my longest leg was only 6.6 miles. WRONG...I forgot about the other contributing factors that DON'T work in your favor when participating in CLR...like...no sleep for 2 days, hot weather (I run at 6 am at home to avoid the heat), lack of good nutrition, cramped in a car and running 3 times in 1.5 days instead of 1 time every 3 days. Anyway, things to work on for next year...train and train hard! All in all, I love my team of runners and our support team that cooked for us at the end of the race and set up a great celebration house to come together and laugh, share and hug hug hug!!!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2073067&id=1492913698&l=e41d0d1eb6

Granite Man...

2010-08-01T15:18:00.000-07:00

Granite Man race...Josh and crew put on the Granite Man multi-race this year...hopefully the first of a long future putting on a great event in the Rogue valley. Geoffrey and Jett resting up at the end of a long day of setting up the courses and riding Segways!

Sister Picnic

2010-08-01T15:14:00.001-07:00

Why it took us so long to think of it, who knows but we finally did...Sarah and I drove an hour and met Baboo (and baby Eva) in the middle on I5 and had a picnic, bride's maid dress fitting and 5 hours of great sister time.

Update...

2010-07-13T07:21:00.000-07:00

Oops...the end of the tournament got very crazy but in the end, we took home 2nd place. Not only were we spared another 2 weeks of baseball and a week in Portland for the state tourney...we gained our SUMMER!!! Hallelujah, we are relaxed happy campers now enjoying the HOTHOTHOT weather, boating on the lake and an open free schedule...ahhh...big sigh...

Jett is 1 team away from winning the all-star tournament...

2010-07-06T20:31:00.001-07:00

It's been a LONG 5 days and we have 2 to go hopefully to take home the district championship! Go Jett!

Locks of Love...3 ponies officially cut off...

2010-07-05T23:08:00.001-07:00

The plan was for me and my girlies to cut all of our hair off together...I wasn't ready for a crazy short bob so I waited...today I cut off 10 inches and feel like me again...ahh...long hair is not me...ah...this feels GREAT!!!

4th of July

2010-07-05T22:53:00.000-07:00

Sailor and I ran in the 4th race and she did her 2 miles in 17 minutes...she wanted to pass everyone she could...I had a hard time keeping up!
Jett getting a massage on all of his painful baseball parts...

Jett chillin' at the parade...

My family/employee getting ready to run in the Ashland 4th run...

A fun June...

2010-07-05T22:37:00.000-07:00

For Sarah's birthday and Father's Day we partied with Steve Martin and his banjo band. Oh my...he is amazing and when he encored to "King Tut"...we went crazy crazy...

Jett received many praises and 2 marriage proposals after a week as a counselor at Vacation Bible School. He loves working with the 2-3 year olds...they LOVE him!!! I am so proud of my boy for living many years as a kid at VBS and now giving back to the new little ones by loving on them, creatively getting them to listen and being a jungle jim for all to climb! Great kid!

Auntie Sarah's graduation

2010-07-05T22:19:00.000-07:00

The girls and their little cousin...
The bro and sistahs...
The whole damn fam...

Game 1...WIN...18-3...

2010-07-02T20:07:00.001-07:00

Jett started the game pitching and did well. He got a triple and a double today...something he hasn't done in a game maybe EVER! The stands were filled with a sea of red ATP (Ashland Town Pride)...lots of people from the community and our younger 2 all-star teams, one that just won their tourney and is heading to state...we hope we follow... One W down, 4 to go!

12 years in the making...

2010-07-01T21:30:00.000-07:00

For Jett, it's been 12 years in the making. For Josh, it's been 26 years since it happened for him. Little League 12 year old All-Stars...the big guys...Little League World Series potential! We're not holding our breath to go all the way like Josh did back in the day when his team went to Maine for the LLWS but we'd like to make it out of our own backyard and up to Salem for state. The anticipation (I refrain from using the word "fun" because I become a competitive, anxious ball of "FUN" starting tomorrow!) begins Friday night and continues through the holiday weekend and beyond.

My boys (coach and son) grabbed lots of spotlight in the first article of the tourney today. Jett's quotes are so cute! :) Go Ashland!!!

Setting the D6 stage | DailyTidings.com

Congrats Jett!

2010-06-14T22:24:00.000-07:00

My sweet boy just played his last game of his 7 year little league career...Jett and Josh's team came in 1st place for the past 3 years and this weekend took home 2 trophies for both season and tournament champions! We still have all-stars which will be in Ashland just a few blocks from our house...perfection!!! I am feeling very sad not to sit at our beautiful fields watching my babe play the game he loves. The player's parents are a family, the siblings love their thrice weekly playdates at the fields and cheering on all the same boys year after year has come to and end...boo boo hoo. We're on to middle school ball which is just a short little stepping stone to, dare I say...Ashland H.S. Grizzly Baseball! Slow down life...slow down!

Chase's Spring Exhibition Show

2010-05-22T22:07:00.000-07:00

Here's a little snippet of Chase's show...I'll spare you the longer version! :)

Dad and his girls

2010-05-22T22:02:00.000-07:00

Front yard soccer is their thang!

A little bit of Jett in action...

2010-05-22T21:52:00.000-07:00

Here ya go Grammy...Jett used to be a relief pitcher and he's turned into one of our 2 starters...hmmm...wonder if he'll switch from catcher...momma hopes not, his knees are praying, "yes, please", I'm sure!

War on Vaccines

2010-05-07T09:57:00.000-07:00

www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/vaccines/view/

This Frontline show was filmed in Ashland this past week. Chase appears in it within the first 7-8 minutes during her gymnastics class. I live in an amazing town but man, let me tell you how nuts so many of its residents are. I will be a very grumpy mommy if my children come down with a new strand of some terrible disease because some nutty Ashlander didn't vaccinate their child. Ugh...Ashland is a zoo...come visit sometime, there's lots to see!

My 1/2 Marathon, a story told...

2010-05-02T20:08:00.000-07:00

(in the white tank)

I just returned from a very fun family weekend...actually only about 1.5 days out of Ashland. We got to see the Cougs NOT hit the ball and lose 2 games against the Ducks...boo hoo. But on a happy note, I finished an interesting experience this morning. Here's the tale...
At 6 am Josh took me into Eugene to Hayward Field...home of Prefontaine and Track Town, USA. I arrived in the midst of 8000 runners of all ages...I was most impressed with the huge number runners over 40...super inspiring.

7 am I scrunched into the huge mob to begin my first 13.1 mile run.
Miles 1-3 I was one of the hundreds of cattle chugging along, well over my pace time because I could barely move.
Miles 3-5 The herd started opening up, I picked up my pace, shed a couple of layers and the race was on.
Miles 5-9 I'm feeling gooooood...I think I could run FOREVER. The cheerful observers had awesome signs and encouraging smiles and the gatorade/water stations were a lifesaver.
Miles 9-11 Still enjoying the run, warmer weather but eagerly looking for the big blue banners waving in the wind with my next mile marked on them.
Mile 11 My feet are starting to talk to me, for the third time since I began running I pushed the tears of "oh my gosh, I'm really doing this" back down.
Miles 12-13 Wow, that went fast and I hope my toenails are still intact and oh man, keep chuggin' because the spectators are getting thick and I don't want to look like I have no gas left.
Mile 13.1 Wow again, I entered Hayward Field with a track full of runners bolting to the finish line and a stadium full of cheering friends and family. About 20 yards to the finish line I see Josh, then Chase and Sailor waving and smiling. I gave them a big happy wave and crossed the finish line with an abrupt thought, "I'm done, really, already."

So, aside from the stinky runners, weird goo squishing out of a runners armpit, hurdling over a super flat squirrel on the road, the 70 year old beating me, gatorade up my nose at mile 8 and periodically getting elbowed by eager runners...I had a blast!

The course was beautiful and easy, the weather was perfectly refreshing and digging deep within to keep my legs moving for 2 hours was so amazing. I prayed for runners I passed or saw across the meadow on the return loop who were working so hard but were going to probably struggle down the road because of their age, weight or inexperience...It inspired me to see them committed to the race, to their health and the experience...I prayed they would have peaceful endurance, encouragement and enjoy their day.

I was so happy to hug my family after the race and see how excited they were...and probably relieved knowing my 10 weeks of training and being crazy about finding time to run is OVER...for now...Cascade Lakes Relay: 216 miles with my 11 teammates in July is next...way fun! However, note to self, don't eat curry the night before, it can sneak up and cause some worry along the way.

Stats: Finish time 2 hrs 5 minutes, 9:34 miles pace time, top 26% of all half-marathon runners, top 25% female runners. This is my personal best, my training pace time was 10:00 miles but its funny how people watching you run on the sidelines makes you run faster...gotta look like the race is easy, right??!! :)

Thank you God for a healthy body to run, a supportive family and the desire to try new things!

Boulevard Coffee...check it...

2010-04-29T21:47:00.000-07:00

We have a new and much improved website. Check it out: http://boulevard-coffee.com/. My favorite part is our barista bios under Cafe/Galleries/BC bios. Fun stuff...I love my business and staff...they're super duper!

55 hours...

2010-04-29T20:41:00.000-07:00

I'm on the 2ish day countdown until my first, and probably last, 1/2 marathon. We leave Saturday morning for a fun filled weekend of Cougs/Ducks baseball, family time and 13.1 miles to boot. How can running seem to amazing and exhilerating when I'm NOT doing it and then once I'm doing it, ugh, I feel like a weakling? Wish me well that I'll be exhilerated DURING my race on Sunday.

State...and it is finished!

2010-04-25T14:47:00.001-07:00

Chase did great at state. She got her personal best All-Around score, two 9.1s and a 9th place Floor Ribbon to boot. My favorite part was that she had fun the entire competition with her 2 teammates she was with for her session. They played, giggled, cheered and enjoyed FUN competition. Now with 3 meets under her "leo", she is ready for a break from competition a summer of fun skill building with her team. Cousin Jessie, Auntie Baboo and I sat in the bleachers to everyone's envy...we brought seat cushions and didn't suffer too long after 5 hours. The pizza, chocolate and girl time helped too...

As I'm posting this, Chase said to me, "Um mom, I don't mean to be rude but should the blog no just be about me?" She's absolutely right...no more Chase on the blog! :)

State...Here we come...

2010-04-23T19:34:00.000-07:00

Chase and I are leaving for her first state meet in Eugene in the morning. She's oblivious to the nerves part of it at this point but I think once she sees the venue and all the nervous gymnasts that are competing it'll set in. We are excited about getting out of town, bringing cousin Jessie with us and staying at Auntie Baboo's house. Here is Chase's 9.70 on the vault, her best score ever so far, at her last meet where she earned her first, 1st place medal. Oh boy, here we go!

Easter and more Easter...

2010-04-04T16:25:00.000-07:00

Easter is my personal favorite Holy-day! We spent the morning at church with our church family, lunch with friends and the afternoon with just the 5 of us watching movies, playing Life and swimming...ahhh...God is good for giving me the perfect day. God is good all the time and today my baby, the final of us 5, made a pubic profession of her inward confession to have Jesus in her heart! Her baptism was so special, our youth pastor and special friend, Ken, was her chosen "dunker" and lots of very special people came to see her special moment.

Chase's Baptism with Pastor Ken and Daddy ending in a prayer for Chase.

Easter Eggs, Friends and Bunnies...

2010-04-04T15:47:00.000-07:00

We spend our holidays with our special friends...I mean family...the Michiels. We played games, dined and dyed and watched old home videos of us all together from 10 years ago when we were all so much younger and...we'll just say younger. :)

Bowling cousins

2010-04-04T15:44:00.000-07:00

Grandpa Greg came for a visit with Josh's aunt and uncle and 2 cousins...the girls played played and played!

Family Art Wall

2010-04-04T15:26:00.000-07:00

Mom, this is for you. I hung up all your old art cards you sent me with the painting my kids did. Now we have a family art wall.

Spring Break Handspring Clinic

2010-04-04T15:22:00.000-07:00

I dropped off the little missy with 1 back handspring under her belt and I picked her up with 3...gotta love the air trak.

I'm waiting to feel like a runner...

2010-03-26T22:06:00.000-07:00

I'm 4 weeks into my 10 week training for the Eugene 1/2 Marathon. After running a few races last year and my wonderful 216 mile relay with my Twisted Blister team, I took the winter off. I've been running for a month and waiting for it to get easy. I struggle every time I run. Saturdays are the long run of 4 each week and tomorrow I was supposed to run farther than I ever have in my life...10 miles. I have company in town so I decided tonight I'd tackle it. I ate what I needed to, stayed especially hydrated for an extra day but by mile 9 I was dizzy, foggy and ready to heave. However, I'm done right this second and so very tired. Oi Vey, 11 next Saturday and not sure if I can go through that again. Lord help me stay motivated, run the good race, the race marked for me...

I need to keep Paul's words in Hebrews and Corinthians at the forefront of my mind: ”So let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us" and ”Run in such away to win the prize“. My prize will be great accomplishment for something I thought I could never do. For the last 20 years I've said I'm not a runner...I'm waiting to feel like a runner still but after my Eugene adventure, I hope I can finally believe it!

Spring Break in Squaw Valley with the SF 49ers

2010-03-23T21:54:00.000-07:00

We LOVE our trips to Squaw Valley, home of the 1960 Winter Olympics with our friends, the Annens. The weekend is full of outrageous blessings from the amazing food, incredible skiing, beautiful resort and 2 days living amongst Olympians and the San Francisco 49ers. This weekend is the annual "Celebrity Winter and Wine Fest" to raise money for the 49ers Foundation (a youth outreach organization). I was especially excited this year because one of my favorite Olympians, Dan Jansen - 1994 speed skating gold medalist, was around and I actually got to have a conversation with him...AND A PIC, thanks to my brave husband! Thank you thank you Annens for including us again this year!

Locks for my Lovlies

2010-03-23T20:35:00.000-07:00

The 3 of us have been growing our hair out FOREVER and Sailor finally said, "ENOUGH, CUT IT OFF". We've all struggled having so much hair but all in the name of a good cause, "Locks for Love". The girls were motivated to donate their hair for wigs for children with cancer but that is all that motivated them. Their new do's are easy, fun and ADORABLE! My day is coming too but I wasn't ready to go as short as they did...coming this spring...

Mary Mary Quite Contrary...

2010-03-17T14:17:00.001-07:00

Today was conference day at school to kick off Spring Break. I thought I'd share my favorite part of our conferences today for the kiddos. Chase's first grade teacher shared with me a response she wrote to a prompting...a writing assignment they do often.

The prompt from Mrs. Gardener: Mary brought her pet skunk to school.
Chase's response (I'll translate afterwards): Maree had a babe. his name wase Jesus. he is the hale spirit. I love God. he tuk my sin o wae.

"Mary had a baby. His name was Jesus. He is the Holy Spirit. I love God. He took my sin away."

Um...not sure what to say about that except my heart is bursting with sweetness for my daughter. I love that when she hears the name Mary, there's only one thing she thinks of...not skunks or school but Jesus' momma...Amen! The comment on her report card from her teacher was, "I am enjoying Chase immensely and consider myself fortunate to be her teacher! She is a hard worker and willing to take on new and bigger things. I appreciate her deep sense of right and wrong. She is willing to take on the injustices of the world an be the champion to the underdog. She knows who she is and what she believes and willingly shares that with others. Thanks for sharing her with me!"

Now if that doesn't soften my heart for all those times she's being a stinky sister, nothing will! Thank you Jesus for speaking into my child...now please let it reflect on how she interacts with her siblings!

Chase's First Gymnastics Meet

2010-03-13T19:52:00.000-08:00

Breakfast at Boulevard Coffee. Jane taught me how to sew yarn into Chase's braid buns to keep them tidy and stuck in place. Ahhh...the things you learn on first meet day. She lost her 2nd front tooth the night before so I'm sure the big gaping hole in her smile helped the judges with cuteness points!

FLOOR 8.25

VAULT 8.55

BARS 8.05 (turn volume off...I'm being loud! :)

BEAM 7.95

Rylie 3rd place All-Around and Chase 4th place All-Around! They both qualified to compete at the state tournament next month. Wahoo!

How perfect are you?

2010-03-04T11:26:00.000-08:00

A perfectionist mind-set can sap your strength. It’s endless. There is always another class to attend, project to start, project to finish, relationship to nurture, room to organize... No prison is as endless as the prison of perfection. Her inmates find work but they never find peace. How could they? They never know when they are finished.

We must remember that we were perfectly made...not made to be perfect. That's the greatest new...its not our job to be perfect, its someone else's. So relax, enjoy, check that measuring stick which you measure all your doings and make sure it's a realistic stick!

From my brain today...

Happy Birthday to me...

2010-02-27T23:30:00.000-08:00

I like to throw myself birthday parties every year...a great excuse to get my girls together and do something unique and fun! This year I decided to peer pressure my friends into doing my new favorite cross-training exercise...Bikram yoga. This class is 90 minutes long in a room that is 103 degrees. Let's just say...SWEATY, STINKY, INTENSE STUFFINESS AND SWEATYSWEATYSWEATY!!!

I love my friends for being adventurous and willing. Everyone did great. At least we're all still smiling in the after pic. We followed yoga with showers, of course, and then I made them yummy dinner and a movie at my pad. The night was a blessing and I felt loved...thanks all my chickies for getting your sweat on with me!

All I want for Valentine's Day is my...front tooth

2010-02-20T19:46:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas from the Hamiks to you!

2009-12-24T18:06:00.000-08:00

You'll have to endure 2 videos...the kids couldn't get enough as we're cuddled up on Christmas Eve in our newly unwrapped jammies watching Home Alone...the ultimate kid Christmas movie!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

2009-12-24T17:37:00.001-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Square One...With a Tree...

2009-12-10T10:43:00.000-08:00

After 2 weeks of absolute silliness...my project's tree is back up, right where it started. It remains neutral to the season, right where it started. 99% of the parents support is, right where it started. God doesn't take us TO things without promising to bring us THROUGH it. Lesson learned: School officials should respect and obey the 1st amendment so we don't have to take the joy out of 2 more weeks of December. For the rest of us...when faced with opposition, remain cool, confident and determined...shine your Jesus light...pray...be heard and people will make the right call...if not, trust Jesus had a reason and be thankful you didn't say ridiculous things like others...ugh! On a super bright note...we had a $300 donation check dropped off and 2 people say they'd bring everything we still need to fill the boxes if we don't get all the donations this week. WOW...our display looks even prettier than before and we have an abundance of generosity flowing into the project...AMEN, GOD IS GREAT!

We're back to square one...the project is wonderful, kids will help decorate it with their own ornaments that they made in representation of themselves and 25 less fortunate families will have a huge care box dropped off at their house with everything they need to help make the holidays special...food, gifts, love and support. Thanks all for supporting me and Serena through this craziness...if I ever wanted to be a celebrity before I promise I'm running in the opposite direction now. If I see myself on tv or in print one more time looking pale, serious and and and...I don't know but its not a comfortable place to be...I'll bring my make up artist next time...geeeesh! To add to the silliness...a reporter tried to track me down for a "post-interview" and do an interview in the parking lot of Chase's strep throat doctor's appointment yesterday...I said no thank you.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

2009-12-06T22:11:00.000-08:00

With all of our crazy school stuff going on, I want to just say Merry Christmas to you all. Hug your family, turn of the house lights and lay in front of your tree and count your blessings...we all have blessings despite hard times...start with the blessing of life...if you're counting right now you must be alive so the first one is easy. Continue on to your home, the tree, the people that live in your home and go from there...we get stuck focusing on the "yuck" and forget about all the "amazing" in our lives.

"Joy to the world", the angels sing!

But its a GIVING TREE...

2009-12-04T19:00:00.001-08:00

Oh boy, this is growing like wildfire. An extremely liberal community is stepping out to voice their outrage that a "Giving Tree" can no longer be in public display at our school even though it represents a project about the Spirit of Giving for our needy families at school. The project was my idea...the community owns the wildfire. I would like to compel everyone to think hard about an all or nothing policy being adopted. There's valid reasons for both and neither are against Christianity...just a fair and neutral existence...whichever way the tree falls...all or nothing.

The African Children's Choir...

2009-11-08T22:09:00.000-08:00

The biggest yay we could say, "They're back and we're crazy excited about that!!!" This will be our 4th adventure hosting the choir in our home. They are a super young group this year, 7-10 year olds. We have Benson, Jonah and Derrick this year and their chaperone, Tony, who was in the choir 20 years ago and is back to chaperone this tour. Check out their website or facebook...Music For Life is a phenomenal organization which takes care of the choir kids and their continuing care and education for the rest of their young lives. Lord, transport me to Uganda in my next life...

Here are some videos and pics from our first of 3 nights with the boys. Chase read them their bedtime story (with their help), we danced to Beat It under our disco ball...and those boys move very different than during the concert...they have MJ down perfectly and we ate snack after they burned 8000 calories at their concert tonight...they ate 6 apples, 3 bananas, 6 mandarin oranges and 2 bags of popcorn...3 small boys...HUNGRY!!!

MONSTER DASH UPDATE...

2009-11-07T19:32:00.000-08:00

SAILOR WON AN AWARED FOR

"9-11 AGE GROUP RACE WINNER"

Congrats Sailor for running your little heart out!

Monster Dash 2009

2009-10-31T16:26:00.000-07:00

Today Auntie Sarah, Sailor and I ran in the 1st Annual Kiwanis Monster Dash to support Ashland School Foundation. We ran the 5K and Sailor was one of the only kids to do the 5K instead of the 1 mile. She rocked it and we won the costume contest for the "over 18 Group" category.

It was exhilarating to see her succeed and get that adrenaline rush in the last 1/4 mile when all the town was lining up on the street cheering runners to the finish line and oohing and ahhing at the cute little lady bug running by with all the big people. Fun day...time to relax and play with our friends coming over to hang on the evening of Oct. 31.

Note: Sailor contributed the awesome finger knitted red ankle cuffs to our costume...she's so cute!

Boulevard Coffee Official Ribbon Cutting

2009-10-31T16:21:00.001-07:00

Ashland's Chamber of Commerce did their monthly Greeters meeting yesterday at BC and ended with our official ribbon cutting ceremony. It was sillynd special at the same time. AND YES, the scissors are HUGE and really do cut.

My Halloween someday...

2009-10-30T19:54:00.000-07:00

Disappear...Ahhh...breath it in...

2009-10-22T19:28:00.000-07:00

On a day like this I want to crawl beneath a rock

A million miles from the world, the noise, the commotion

That never seems to stop

And on a day like this I want to run away from the routine

Run away from the daily grind that can suck the life

Right out of me

I only know of one place I can run to

Chorus:

I want to hide in You

The Way, the Life, the Truth

So I can disappear

And love is all there is to see

Coming out of me

And You become clear

As I disappear

I don't want to care about earthly things

Be caught up in all the lies that trick my eyes

They say it's all about me

I'm so tired of it being about me¦

I would rather be cast away

Separated from the human race

If I don't bring You glory

OH MY...I JUST DID MY FIRST "FAST"

2009-10-22T19:15:00.000-07:00

So I just did a crazy thing to myself. My friend and I sat way too long watching our boys play baseball all weekend and what we ended up with was a silly undertaking for the upcoming week. We decided to do a NO GLUTEN - NO DAIRY - NO MEAT - NOTHING PROCESSED food plan. I lasted 4 days and then I gave up on the nuts, fruits and veggies. I suppose my pants might be baggier but the biggest lesson learned was how stinkin' many times in a day I wanted to grab a little of this and eat a little of that just because it was in front of me. I was very controlled through the whole thing so hopefully lesson learned is to catch myself before grabbing something that I really don't need. But oh baby, let me tell you...those banana nut chocolate muffins Chase made the other day went down nice and easy tonight!! :)

We love it when Pauly Paul comes to town...

2009-10-16T23:04:00.000-07:00

I love our Christian musicians...and I especially love them when they are "local" and stay at the Stratford Inn. I love their message, their sincerity and their kindness. I love when they perform concerts and are able to say hi to my kids because they recognize them from show to show...we love Paul Wright and his band for staying with us and expiencing Boulevard Coffee for the first time and loving it!!!

Kim and Paul...
somebody's very happy to have this pic!

FB...who me???

2009-10-16T22:08:00.001-07:00

So I said I'd never do it. Never say never right? Well, it's not a total "never"... I've joined Facebook...sort of. I still maintain that social networking via MS, FB, Twit... are not for me. In the wise words of Miley Cyrus..."I'd rather be living my life than living for others (in the context of updating her life via the www). Respect to all y'all who enjoy it...I just don't have the gene.

I'm now Tweeting and FBing for BOULEVARD COFFEE! Check us out and be a friend or fan or whatever that means. We're announcing contests, silly questions and special events. I think it makes sense for our business so hopefully you all like it too!

My baby is 7...are you kidding me!!!

2009-10-11T08:57:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday
Chase Hamik!

Grand Opening at Boulevard Coffee

2009-10-10T20:56:00.000-07:00

We've finally arrived at the big day...we're officially advertising and screamin' from the rooftops for all to come in.

First Day of School

2009-09-09T20:32:00.001-07:00

The first day is always a bit bittersweet...WE LOVE SUMMER but the lack of routine eventually wears on me and I become an overwhelmed, unfocused, crazy person by the end of August. Many new things this school year for our family. Chase, 1st grade, is our last child to enter into public school...we'll miss our beloved Pilot Rock Christian School dearly. Sailor, 3rd grade, is the oldest sibling in our newly built elementary school which means we're trying to get her to carry the "Big Sister" torch but she's not having it yet. Jett, oh my baby...6th grade, middle school he has entered and momma's feeling sad about it. He, classically, locked his locker combo INSIDE his locker on the first day but recovered well because he probably wasn't the only one. He is happy and confident doing the middle school thang...more and more responsibilities and privileges have been bestowed upon him over this past summer. He's taking to the pre-teen thing pretty well so far. Here's a pic of the first day of school...with Auntie Sarah who is on her 5th day of her new school...Ashland Massage Institute!

Last horrah of the summer...

2009-09-09T19:24:00.000-07:00

We went to the Treehouse Resorts for our last family vacation before school starts. I heard about this place several years ago and always wanted to go. Here are the pics... our house was called the Swiss Family Treehouse and it was complete with a main treehouse accompanied by a bouncy bridge to the kid unit...so fun! The kids and I zip-lined through the trees for an hour, rode horses and enjoyed the semi-communal living amongst the other treehousers. It was Treetastic!

Pee Wee...here we come...

2009-09-06T21:30:00.001-07:00

My sisters and I love our girly road trips. As of 5 minutes ago we have our next one planned. The day after Thanksgiving we are headed to HOLLYWOOD for 1 day to see Pee Wee do his thang...not Paul Reubens but PEE WEE!!! The 3 of us are dressing up, getting crazy and heading to Pee Wee's Playhouse...wahoo!!!! You know we'll have amazing pics to come!

Jett made the local paper this summer!

2009-09-02T15:07:00.000-07:00

Jett was asked to be in our local paper as a Junior Ashlander spotlight kid. It was a fun thing for him to do. Check out the article...

http://www.dailytidings.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090722/LIFE/907220302/-1/LIFE

New Runner on board

2009-08-26T21:45:00.000-07:00

Sailor has been interested in my new running hobby. We ran a practice 1 mile loop the other day and did some sprints because she wants to get in really good shape for soccer. She wants to run every night when time allows. Tonight was our Cascade Lakes Relay team reunion bbq at our house. We watched an awesome video slideshow of our race...so fun to reminisce. As soon as it was over Sailor wanted to go running. So at 9:00 pm after everyone was gone, Auntie Sarah, Sailor and I headed out into the dark streets to enjoy the night air, crickets singing and beautiful stars. We planned for another mile run but Sailor was happily chatting away the whole time so we kept going. We got home and mapped our run (mapmyrun.com) and we ran 2.5 miles!!!! Oh my goodness...Sailor was beaming when we told her how far she went. She's so excited and is set on running the October 5K run with me and Auntie Sarah. I've imagined a life of exercising with my kids since I was a teenager and tonight just sunk in to me that the time is here...what an exciting blessing!

Holy Bat, Man...Batman!

2009-08-20T21:40:00.000-07:00

Our cats are notorious for catching prizes and bringing them in the house: dragonflies, butterflies, big birds, hummingbirds, RATS and now tonight...a new prize...a bat...she was batting, pardon the pun, it around and then it flew by our heads late at night and then...we caught it on video...

If you listen carefully...BAT SONAR IS IN FULL EFFECT!

With Vicodin, comes Wisdom...

2009-08-20T16:03:00.000-07:00

My 2 existing wisdom teeth went to the Tooth Fairy yesterday so I had an all day date with my bottle of Vicodin. My sweet sis, Sarah, was an amazing nurse. I have had my fill of corn soup, popsicles and pudding. I need NACHOS!!! I've enjoyed a couple of days chillin' and watching movies...if it takes getting wisdom teeth pulled to have a "Momma Break"...I think I'd do it all over again!

Loving the Oregon Coast

2009-08-09T23:54:00.000-07:00

We headed to our family's beach house for a quickie weekend with friends. The girls' BBFs came with their family so there was lots of girly love going around. We played dress up one afternoon...the daddy's didn't like their girls looking like they were headed to prom...it didn't take long for them to look like haggard prom dates the morning after though. :) I personally love the pic of Chase and Josh bonding over their first (cough cough) beer together!

Jett goes to college...

2009-08-09T23:17:00.000-07:00

Say it ain't so Joe...we dropped off Jett at OSU Beaver Baseball Camp last week and it was extremely strange. Josh and I left the girls at Auntie Baboo's house the day after my race to take Jett to college. We settled him in his dorm and left him in the courtyard awaiting stranger adults to care for him for the next 5 days. Jett has been having major "falling asleep" issues...anxiety, growth, pre-teen hormones, whatever it is I was anxious about him not having me to help him fall asleep each night. Therefore, I sent drugs with him, Tylenol PM to be specific but it was the best I could come up with to help him fall asleep if he needed it. He went with 3 friends. One had a phone for all the boys to use but no one did EXCEPT for my son. He called at every break to cheerfully say, "Hi" and 14 times between 9 pm-1 am crying for me to come "save" him from his sleep issues. It was so sad but we prayed and encouraged and STRONGLY encouraged and he got through it and is even talking about going to camp again...hmm...we'll see...
Pic #1 - Jett chillin' in his dorm! I worked hard all week prior to camp to give him good roommate etiquette and personal hygiene 101 lessons.
Pic #2 - The 3 boys, looking slightly scared yet trying to play it cool, as we said farewell for the week.
Pic #3 - We look WAY too young to be dropping our baby off at college...hopefully we'll still say this in 7 years when we do it for real...did I just say 7 years???
Pic #4 - Jett catching in the "Show Case" on the final day of camp...his friend Kye up to bat.

Cascade Lakes Relay 2009

2009-08-09T22:50:00.000-07:00

It's been 4 months since I hesitantly pushed SEND on an email to Chase's kindergarten teacher accepting an invitation to be a part of a 12 person team running a 216 mile relay, the longest in the USA, through the woods, dessert and boonies in the heat of the summer. Well, here are the pics to prove my craziness. I DID IT AND LIVED TO TELL ABOUT IT!!! This was one of the most fun experiences of my life. My sis did it with me which made it super special. We had a paramedics scare with one of our teammates and I had my own small disaster. Picture a pitch black 2 lane narrow highway at 1:30 in the morning...me with a headlamp and reflector vest on and a certain pothole ready to gobble up my foot. I was one mile into my 2nd leg of the race, 5.5 miles in the wee hours of the morning. My headlamp wasn't quite doing its job, I was listening to my worship music softly trying to distract myself from the russling going on in the forest next to me when SMACK...I crashed to my knees and apparently, by the blood, to my forearms, hands and fingers. Confused and searching for my water bottle I flung into the bushes, I got up and figured all I could do was finish my 4.5 miles since there was no one around me and I didn't want to get eaten sitting on the side of the road. God bless my teammates because a few moments later they came upon me and asked if I was okay. They gave me some antiseptic wipes, sent me on my way and thankfully followed behind me with bright headlights the rest of my leg. The scrapes and scabs are slowly starting to disappear...what a memory. I'd do it all again to have the memories, bonding and accomplishment I feel after doing this. GO TEAM TWISTED BLISTER!!!

Neighbors...ugh...

2009-07-14T00:33:00.000-07:00

So I have a problem and I keep reminding myself that my problem isn't my problem...it's how I deal with my problem. Let me start from the beginning...2 years ago an empty-nester couple moved into the house that shared our back fence with us. Last summer as we were building our trampoline and getting ready to place it in the back corner of our yard, the woman neighbor "sweetly" told us she was much happier when our family was away on vacation and wanted us to either put the tramp in the front yard or use the local parks, "that's what they're there for". Biting our tongues, we kindly responded back that we've lived here for 10 years, have raised our children in this home and intend on making our yard an inviting place for them and their friends so they will enjoy spending time at our home. Over the next several months, our kids and their friends have boisterously loved our backyard, the tramp and pool. We live in a neighborhood with houses everywhere and kids everywhere. These neighbors have asked us to keep our "screaming kids" quiet on several occasions and informed us that we have no boundaries on our children. All of this I've hesitantly just taken as them being grumpy people who must have raised their children in straight jackets and banned any form of play, laughter, joy and fun. Granted no one likes SCREAMING kids but isn't there a difference between screaming and little girls being little girls having fun on a hot summer day in the pool for an hour laughing, playing and splashing...apparently according to our neighbors there's something terribly wrong with that and it reflects badly on our parenting. Today the "gentleman" YELLED at the top of his lungs at the 4 girls on the tramp who were over for a slumber party and the 2 boys in the pool because they were being too loud. My strong loving husband kindly marched over to the fence after the terrified girls came inside and told him what had happened. He explained to the neighbor, "DON'T EVER YELL AT MY KIDS AGAIN, If you need to say something you can knock on my door and I'll be happy to respect your wishes but DON'T EVER YELL AT MY KIDS AGAIN!" I think the neighbor thinks we raise our kids like wolves but what's frustrating is that they don't know us at all...who we are, our values or rules our parenting...
The simple fact that the Hamiks like to have CRAZY FUN and utilize our great backyard is causing much strife with these particular neighbors. We happen to have a great street of neighbors that all get along and respect one another and no one fights with anyone. These grumpy people aren't even on our block or street, they just don't like hearing the kids playing. I'd like to offer them literature on some of our beautiful 55 and older communities in town because they seem genuinely shocked at what they've gotten into moving into an area with lots of families with small children.

Okay...venting is done...WHAT DO I DO NOW? I keep asking myself how can I rise above their aggression and make amends but I have no plans on shutting my kids up on the 2-3 occasions a week when they have friends over and are playing in our yard...possibly being noisy for an hour max...am I so wrong to think this is okay or do you think I'm raising my kids like wild animals??? I need encouragement on rising above their yuckiness, shining my light and teaching my kids how to respect grumpy adults. UGH...WHAT DO I DO???

Tips from the Retro Recycler...

2009-07-10T22:21:00.000-07:00

It's becoming a joke now that my first tattoo was a recycling tattoo...I was eco-friendly before it was cool. Therefore, I've given myself the name of the Retro Recycler and I plan on gracing y'all with some factoids that'll get you thinkin' and hopefully get you actin'.

The Bottled Water Problem
*Still drinking bottled water when you could safely filter or turn on a tap? Consider:
*1.5 million barrels of oil are used to make water bottles in the U.S. each year.
*Bottled water also requires oil for shipping, refrigerating, and even recycling.
*86% of plastic bottles in the U.S. end up in a landfill or incinerator.
*More than 60 million plastic bottles end up in landfills and incinerators every day — 22 billion a year.
*Water quality standards set by the EPA for tap water are more stringent than the FDA’s standards for bottled water.
*Ounce for ounce, bottled water costs more than gasoline.
Container Recycling Institute

My vote: get yourself a fabulous stylin' aluminum or stainless steel water bottle at one of my favorite sites: Eco-usable products, SIGG or Kleen Kanteen.

I love each year in my kids' classrooms seeing more and more Eco-logical bottles rather than those nasty Eco-destructive bottles. I suppose living in Ashland isn't giving me a fair representation around the country...gotta love crazy "Green Lovers"!

We'll miss you Michael...

2009-06-25T22:06:00.000-07:00

Our home was saddened today by the passing of MJ. We are glad he'll be able to rest peacefully in Heaven. My girls danced to BAD this year in their Hip Hop Show and Jett danced THRILLER in front of his whole school during their last assembly in May. My favorite two MJ memories are the "Making of Thriller" video we had growing up and I think all 4 of us siblings watched it 10,000 times and memorized the whole thing. My second favorite memory is dancing to PYT in the 3rd grade with my best friend over and over and thrusting on the "Ugh" part over and over again...I even had an off the shoulder unfinished looking PYT shirt I would wear. YEEEESSS!!!

What are your favorite MJ memories?

Sarah and I celebrated his GRADUATION today by having a MJ music dance party on our porch and front yard. Sailor practiced her moonwalk and wanted to know if Michael did "this" when he danced (in the middle of her cartwheel and back walk-over.) We said maybe he did but mostly he moonwalked and then we showed her a few other favorite moves...which of course included the crotch grab and an "Oww" to boot.

I'm wearing my sparkling glove all day to VBS tomorrow and Sarah is playing MJ music through the system in the hotel and coffee bar all day tomorrow. :) :) MJ LOVE!

Vacation Bible School Swamp Style...

2009-06-25T21:20:00.001-07:00

I LOVE VBS WEEK!!! I spend at least 20 hours at church this week helping in the craft room...I think it's been like 10 years running now I've volunteered. I was pregnant with at least 2 of my kids and remember several Baby Bjorn years. Anyway...here's the latest year's pics. Chase joined the big kid rotation this year, no more preschoolers for me, WIERD! Sailor hung with all her bestest buds and Jett graduated from being a kid at VBS to a Jr. Counselor. He's a preschool magnet with all the 2-4 year olds. Jett's always been an "energetic" child but I'm so proud of him because he's getting tons of kudos from the adults at what a loving, engaging and energetic (this time in a positive way) leader to the wee-kids he has been. The highlight of the week is that Chase asked Jesus to live in her heart. I can't even explain my heart about this except that I am truly grateful and blessed to have 3 amazing kids that have all decided to love Jesus...AWESOME!!!

Chase getting funky during closing Sing and Play!

happy Birthday...in true 80s fashion...

2009-06-20T22:15:00.001-07:00

Today is Auntie Sarah's birthday. Since she was born in 1983, she decided to throw herself an 80s birthday. The only present she asked for was that we all come dressed up in TOTALLY RAD costumes. Surprisingly...everybody did!
The party guests included: Madonna, Olivia Newton-John and friends, Blondie, Bruce Springstein, a "revengeful" Nerd and his hooker gal pal, Richard Simmons, Sonny Crocket, Gem from the Holograms, butt-rocker and a super cute Billy Idol.
We played games such as a food relay, blind balloon hunting and an intense Connect 4 Tournament. The championship game was the birthday girl and Chase and no joke, completely legit, Chase won the whole 15 person tourney.
We ate a family recipe of Chicken Roll-ups, which Sarah said she hasn't had since the 80s so I had to teach her how to make them. Dessert was ladybug brownies sitting on pads of green ice-cream grass.

I've just got to say, "I LOVE MY FAMILY". My kids each said it throughout the evening how much they love our family because we're SILLY! To boot, we even had the cops at our door because our backyard neighbors were tired of hearing the 80s music playing outside for 4 hours. If you ask me, that's a successful party when the cops come...and laugh it off when a girl answers the door in a bright green wig and says, "I'm sorry officer, it's my birthday!"

2009-06-20T22:13:00.001-07:00

Last day of school gymnastics...

2009-06-20T18:55:00.000-07:00

On this special day, the girls finished their final day in Hot Shots class. They are super excited to move up to Level 4 so they can compete in meets starting this fall.

My Baby Has Graduated...With Honors...

2009-06-05T19:02:00.000-07:00

Last night Chase graduated from Kindergarten. She looked beautiful and had lots of family from out of town to celebrate her special night with her. To our surprise (not so much if you've seen her ripped bod), she was awarded the NATIONAL Presidential Fitness Award because she exceeded the standard requirements for every fitness category for her age group. Wahoo...we were so proud of her. The best part, her class has 9 boys and 2 girls and the 2 girls won this award...GO GIRLS!!!

Encouragement...Straight from the dirt to the heart...

2009-06-02T21:10:00.000-07:00

Tonight I saw Jesus' love in Ashland. Jett's team just pulled off an amazing super tight semi-final win to take him to the championship game on Saturday. During Jett's first at-bat he took a pitch in the kisser. He swiftly stormed out of the box, took a deep painful breath and involuntary yelled out, "Oooooh poop" because of the pain. His tooth cut a long slice into his top and bottom lip and it swelled purple and blue and blood immediately. He finished his at-bat and continued the entire game as catcher like a champ. We got home and Jett was just about asleep when the phone rang. It was the coach of other team calling to tell Jett he was a warrior and how proud he was of him sticking it out and playing hard for his team the rest of the game.

I've said many times what an amazing town Ashland is, not just for its wonderful versatility, culture and beauty but for the incredible sense of family there is. One place I feel so much of this love is at the Ashland baseball fields. Parents cheer for the pitcher and the batter by name, coaches encourage players from both teams when they make good plays, kids from the opposing team will encourage players who aren't having a great game. The boys smile on the mound when their buddies come up to bat and high fives from the fielders to the base runners after a great hit.

Tonight Jett's community, in the form of an opposing coach who's coached him in the past, made an effort to let Jett know he's supported and appreciated. I LOVE THIS TOWN!!! I love the small yet huge gifts God gives to my children in the form of community...other adults besides their parents giving encouragement, praise and love just because they want to make a difference in a child's life.

I'll sleep well tonight knowing there's love from all around being shared with my sweet little people!

10th Anniversary - Hamik / Tayler Memorial Weekend Beach Trip

2009-05-28T16:01:00.001-07:00

We started out going to our family's beach house in Lincoln City with 3 families, which included 6 adults and one baby. We've evolved over the past 10 years to 2 families with 4 adults and 6 children. We take pics each year and they always end up looking exactly the same except the kids are a year older. We have routines that have become habit now like mom's do Memorial Weekend shopping at the outlets one morning and the dads go to their favorite beer spot, Mo's, for beer and clam chowder the next afternoon. The kids indulge the dads' campfire fixation by chowing on smores as many nights as they can squeeze out of them (adults are referred to as, "the moms" or "the dads".
This year we celebrated our 10th anniversary of the trip by doing an Olympics theme. We decorated the house in red/white/blue and put on Olympic games for 2 days. Team Campfire and Team Ocean competed hard, medals were awarded and ice-cream was slurped down after closing ceremonies. The pics show our spaghetti relay, limbo, obstacle course and more. Gotta love friends who are family!

Jump Jett Jump...

2009-05-27T10:55:00.000-07:00

Jett came in first in his high jump event for the Ashland all-elementary school track meet. He also came in 3 in the 200 meters...who knew???

4 Chicks and a U-Haul...

2009-05-27T10:45:00.000-07:00

My sis, Elizabeth, and I flew to Arizona to surprise our little sis, Sarah, and bring her back to Oregon. She's been traveling and teaching abroad for 2 years and we are so excited to have her home for awhile...as long as we can keep her down. She'll be living with us in Ashland going to massage school. My little peeps are crazy excited to have her living in "Heaven" our apt above the garage. We drove for 23 hours and slept 7 for a total trip of 30 hours start to finish. The U-Haul was meant for 2 and we improvised and made 4 seats out of it. We sang, read chapters about prominent women in history, munched and had a "lovely" lunch on Route 66...the actual road (pre-highway). Sweet memories were had and we celebrated our journey home with matching sister tatoos!

I'm the leg that was already shaved BEFORE the tatoo! :)

We are Siamese If You Please...

2009-05-27T10:18:00.000-07:00

My little hip hoppers performed 2 shows to a packed house...first to M.J.'s BAD and then to We Are Siamese. Sailor was front and center leading the pack and Chase made herself front an center...who knows why?? Fun night and way fun to be the backstage mom for one of the nights.

Ahhh...sweet justice!

2009-05-27T10:09:00.000-07:00

There's something satisfying about watching grown men try to tie their shoes with a huge pregnant belly. We had a couples baby shower for our friends who are making us feel young by continually procreating...they just delivered their 4th beautiful daughter, Madelyn. Most of the dads had never been to a baby shower so we did a brief game session which included smelly/tasting poop in a diaper, tasting baby food and of course, the shoe tying game...good times were had by all!
P.S. Josh is on the bottom pic left side and the dad-to-be-again-x4 is on the bottom pic right side. Mom-to-be-x4 is the tiny one with me looking barely pregnant and delivering a week later.

Twins...

2009-04-30T09:28:00.001-07:00

Can you say SCARY??? I remember being in the 2nd grade with my best friend, Misty Tofte, and dressing alike and making our hair the same. The difference between me and Misty and Sailor and Lily is that Misty had big permed red hair and was even shorter and stalkier than me. Sailor and Lily look exactly alike and put them in the same uniform on the soccer field or basketball court and you don't know which is which. They have a new thing on Sunday nights where they call each other, sometimes 10 times, to get all the details of their outfits ready for Twin Time on Monday morning at school. We've kept it to a Monday thing, they'd do it everyday if the mommies would let them but we think their other friends feel left out. They are both outwardly quiet and shy and soft spoken but get them together and they're laughing so hard they can't breath.

My Real Magazine Cover

2009-04-30T09:20:00.001-07:00

Yeah, okay...it's early, cold and I didn't primp before the pic. This was me before my 5K, pretending to be warm and fired up. The good news is that Bri and I finished 54th out of 150th...and I ran 9 minute miles instead of my usual, 11 minute miles. All in all, it was a successful first race and I can only go up from here.

Reaching out...baseball style...

2009-04-22T22:27:00.000-07:00

It's no big news that the Hamiks LOVELOVELOVE baseball. We love the game, the community and the spring season which kicks off the baseball season. Something we love just as much are baseball players. Our family has a fondness for high school kids and combine teens and baseball and look out...we want to hang out with you! Josh has a love for Ashland High School baseball and the boys on the team. He volunteers his time coaching clinics, camps, teams and one-on-one instruction. But the best part, is the one-on-one (or 5 when they come to our home) that he gets to have mentoring a few of the boys. It is such an honor and blessing to our family to have these players in our home often feeding them, playing with them and seeing how their "cool guy" guards come down as we dig into their "world" and encourage them to seek the truth and push the fluff and drama aside. It's awesome to watch them transform into moldable, teachable and transparent young men. Their "world" isn't that different from ours back in high school and Josh can totally relate to who they are in their school as athletes...amongst other traits I won't delve into. These are two brothers we adore who have become big brothers to our kids and little bros. to Josh...I just feed them and drill into them, "Stay away from cleat chasing girls during the season...they'll mess with your head." I should know, I was one of them and then I snagged me some cleats! ;)

So my encouragement for the day is to know what you love and use it as a vehicle to love on others. As you can see with Charlie and Josh, there's lots of MAN LOVE going around... :)

2009-04-22T22:07:00.000-07:00

I made my first magazine cover! I'm so excited! Haha...are you all cracking up? I am becoming a runner against my body's will. I was given the opportunity to run in a relay race in July and without thinking much, I committed...ugh...what was I thinking??? I am in decent shape and can power walk like a champ but running is a no go for this momma of 3.

My race is called the Cascade Lakes Relay (check out the crazy website) and it is a 216 mile race to Bend with a team of 12. We each have to run 3 legs of this race and I'm in major training mode. So far...no body changes, lots of mental battles and I'm up to 4.5 miles without dying! All in all, this is going to be a fun new challenge with my first test this weekend when I do my first 5k race.

My goal will be to replace that girl on the cover of the magazine...I can dream!

R.I.P. Half-Pint...

2009-04-15T09:37:00.000-07:00

Sailor's hamster, Half-Pint, went to hamster heaven yesterday. He had a hard 8 month life. He was constantly being stalked by 3 big black kitties, his out-of-cage adventures almost cost him his life a few times and finally...what appears to be a stroke, caused by who knows what at 8 months old, he died.

The event began by Chase and her friend, Josiah, going into Sailor's room to play with Half-Pint. He was laying on his back, 4 legs outstretched and mouth wide open (Chase does a flawless reinactment of this moment). He was still breathing when she handed him to me and over the next 15 minutes his breathing slowed to almost a stop. Josh walked in at that moment with the two big kids from school, at which time the bad news was shared with Sailor. She was terribly upset. We put him back in his cage to die peacefully and then the little rascal started moving, breathing and moved around his house. He tried to crawl into another tube but needed a boost because his back legs weren't working (happyhamster.com says thats a sign of a stroke). He never moved again from that spot and finally assumed the "Chase" position mentioned above and died when we picked him up.

The difference between Sailor and Chase. Sailor cried, wouldn't hold him or go out to his burial. Chase cried and then got ultra-curious. She held him lots, explored all of his little hamster parts with her fingers, closed his opened eyes and was the one to finally put him in his cute little coffin she made and place it in the ground for daddy to bury. Hmmm...it'll be interesting to see how these coping skills to death manifest out as these little ladies grow up. Jett was around too. Very compassionate and even managed to touch Sailor's leg and mutter, "It'll be okay, Say."

Chalk yesterday up for a Hamik life lesson. We're taking a break from heart ache but we're willing to replace Half-Pint when Sailor is ready. R.I.P. Half-Pint!

Wednesday Morning Devotion

2009-04-15T07:36:00.000-07:00

Strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. "We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God." Acts 14:22

Why is it whenever we get near a "life" fire, we try to run from it. Isn't the fire where God lives? Isn't He in the fire taking all the heat for us...for our sin...for our wrongdoings...for our selfishness? It would seem that we spend this lifetime trying to get closer to God but when things get tough, we run from it.

My encouragement for myself this morning based on this scripture is this: If God brings us TO a fire, He'll bring us THROUGH the fire. Right smack in the middle of the fire/ the hardship is where we'll find rest with our Abba, our Father. Don't be afraid to feel the heat, that is where we'll recognize the source all at the same time being protected from its damage by our Savior.

Lots of love this morning, me

Happy Resurrection Day Easter Bunny!

2009-04-12T16:24:00.001-07:00

This is the day that the Lord has made, fo' sho'!!!

Sailor got baptized today after 2 years of wanting to and finally feeling brave enough to share it with her whole church family. Sailor decided today was the day she wanted to show an outward expression of her inward confession that Jesus is in her heart and everyone can know about it. Yay God, what a glorious day!

Good Friday Festivities!

2009-04-12T16:15:00.000-07:00

I love this day because of the history behind it. It wasn't such a "good" Friday when all of this went down so many years ago, but if those early Christians knew on Friday what was about to happen on Sunday, they would indeed have called it GOOD FRIDAY...even back then.

We spent Good Friday evening with some of our favorite friends and Grampy coloring eggs and playing games and being super silly...what a GREAT FRIDAY!

PRAY FOR LUKE

2009-04-03T06:47:00.000-07:00

I've mentioned this boy to some of you before. Back in Sept of 2007 he was diagnosed with Leukemia and eventually had a successful bone marrow transplant amongst other cancer treatments and it was successful. Unfortunately, the cancer is back. My friend, Shannon, did a 500 prayer project and put them all on blue stars for Luke to have. That's where I got the idea for Bradda with the prayer circles. I went to school with Luke's mom and aunt and to know them makes this all the more devastating for me...especially as Bradda is still fighting his battle as we speak. Check out Luke's site...it's inspiring to see.

Winter and Wine - San Francisco 49ers Event

2009-03-28T15:09:00.000-07:00

Our friends invited us on an amazing family weekend in Squaw Valley (Tahoe) to the San Fran 49ers charity event. It was an incredible weekend filled with tons of surprises, sore muscles, Olympians and huge football players.

The first night we made smores with some football players and some Gold Rush cheerleaders...

Heading up to the slopes for our first of two LONG days in the hot sunshine...gotta love Spring skiing...we delayered all day long and ended up with some rosey cheeks.

Josh and Chris enjoying the sunshine and lunch on the patio...they're wearing their swimsuits and they're surrounded by snowy mountains...so beautiful and warm.

A little slopey love of the kids...they did AWESOME and Chase kept up with everyone which was such a blessing!

Spring is in the air...

2009-03-17T08:52:00.000-07:00

You can't keep a good woman down...I'm declaring I won't be held down for long. Just as the clouds are trying to fade from this raining day, I too am pushing away the darkness that seems to want to hold all of us in a gloomy place. Taking captive our joy, motivation and excitement for what life has to offer each day. I refuse to allow the darkness to capture me, the wellspring of joy God has grounded deep in my heart and the sunshine I want to exude...

I'm not one to doubt God. I believe I've been given a very precious gift of being a doubt-less person. I understand many experience their "Doubting Thomas" times. For some reason, when God made me, he didn't give me that gene. Maybe its my lack of daddy-ness here on Earth that has caused me to stay close by my heavenly Father's side. I have no doubt that if/when I stray just a few feet away from God, I will fall and get hurt. When life is overwhelming and I think I can't bear much more, I never doubt God is not right beside me. As I reach up to my Abba, He scoops me up in His heavenly arms and holds me tight, caressing my head and telling me it'll all be okay because He loves me so much.

Dr. Phil says we all have a handful of "LIFE DEFINING MOMENTS". Things like family deaths, bearing children, major home/job shifts and other monumental episodes in our lives. These moments define who we are based on how we responded to what was happening and how we move on/heal from those times. I believe these past 2 months may become one of my "LIFE DEFINING MOMENTS". The way I've been dealing is to put my nose to the grindstone and get working...don't let up, look up or breathe until the work at hand is completed. I was always aware of those around me not receiving the usual Allison aroma, I prayed for those around me and the situation at hand and in the end, I never doubted God's hand in it all and that this is a season He has planned for me and season's always pass.

Spring is in the air...baseball has started which warms my heart immensely, friends are coming in for coffee and I woke up this morning for the first time with my children in almost 2 weeks and I felt joy again. Like most, I have people in my social circles fighting deadly illnesses, losing their jobs and doubting God...I pray I can be a rock for those and invite them to dip into the wellspring of joy God has grounded deep inside of me.

SONG: This is my theme song for my season...listen and be encouraged!

Closed for maintenance...

2009-03-12T14:28:00.001-07:00

I think I'm closed for maintenance...its a change of season in Allison-land and there's not much to see or talk about. I've become a 5am-1 pm barista. I'm usually at the gym at that dark time of the morning but now I'm training employees on how to open Boulevard Coffee. I don't get much sleep. As my sweet friend told me, the Baptist wiskey helps a lot...I already discovered it and have faithfully taken my Ny-Quil every night for 2 weeks so I can make the voices and lists stop running in my brain. The season is a blessing but I have little energy to chat, fold laundry, find an ounce of creativity to make dinner and what energy I do have, I give it all to my neglected wee ones who cling to me every chance they get. Lucky Sailor has been home sick all week from school so she's been getting lots of much needed mommy time.

Check back after the season has changed...

2009-02-27T14:06:00.000-08:00

Boulevard Coffee...

2009-02-27T13:59:00.000-08:00

Say Say basketball...

2009-02-20T10:57:00.000-08:00

2009-02-20T10:50:00.000-08:00

Gymnastics Time...Here ya go Grammy...

2009-02-20T10:42:00.000-08:00

Here's lots of videos for you so you don't feel so far away... pause my music so you can hear the crooked video...sorry I couldn't turn it right side up.

Chasey..

2009-02-20T10:36:00.000-08:00

Say Say again...

2009-02-20T10:26:00.000-08:00

Chase doing her thang...

2009-02-20T10:15:00.001-08:00

Sailor tumbling a bit.

Make new friends but keep the old...

2009-02-18T14:22:00.000-08:00

Josh Craig Josh

Here are some oldie but goodie buddies of Josh's from childhood, college and daddyhood...
Craig brought his family to our Sunriver house where Josh's family was staying with us for the weekend. We stayed for a long weekend in our favorite house with our Ashland friends, Seattle friends and formerly Seattle friends now Bend residents. It was fun to catch up and all the wives liked watching the guys reminisce and be silly...good times were had by all!

Tis the season to SKIIIIII...

2009-02-18T14:18:00.001-08:00

We went on our annual Mt Bachelor ski trip with friends. We hit the slopes with our kids and then the tubing hill with our friends...good times with beautiful blue sky!!!

I'm getting excited for Boulevard...

2009-02-18T14:15:00.000-08:00

Oh my oh my...tile and machines this week...oh my oh my...

Sailor is paying it forward in the form of a MOOOOO...

2009-02-04T22:30:00.001-08:00

Moments like this make a momma smile big. So my kids are kind of over getting birthday presents from their friends at their birthday parties. They LOVE gifts, but they've felt compelled to give rather than receive for their last couple of birthdays. I'm so proud of them and their big generous hearts. They're only 6,8 and 10 but to see their wheels turning, trying to decide who to give to each birthday floors me.

In September Sailor decided she wanted to sponsor a child for her birthday. Even though I knew this would mean mom and dad picked up the monthly tab after her birthday was over, we loved the idea of sponsoring a child as a family. So Sailor and I spent lots of time browsing the World Vision and Compassion International sites for the perfect girl for Sailor to sponsor. We eventually ran across a girl from Uganda that was born on the exact same day as Sailor. She was perfect...Sailor wanted a child from Uganda because that is where her friends from the African Children's Choir live. So we signed up and they sent information and a picture of Alenyo. Sailor keeps it in her room and they have corresponded back and forth twice. Today we got a letter that made me completely lose it. Sailor received almost $500 from her birthday party friends, family and a neighbor. We were able to send Alenyo her max amount of $40 and the rest to her family. In todays letter, we found out her family was able to purchase 2 cows, a sheep, blankets and a birthday dress for Alenyo. ARE YOU KIDDING ME??!! Sailor asked why I was teary and I told her that she changed the lives of a whole family. She was so happy and immediately wrote Alenyo a big letter to send off thanking her for her letter.

God is so good! Despite the emotional, dramatic, craziness that that sweet girl can bring into our lives, her heart is bigger than all of it... all because she's focused on Jesus. What a blessing she is to me and now, many around the world!

Boulevard Coffee...we are STILL underway...

2009-02-04T18:35:00.000-08:00

Here ya go Sarah Rose and all y'all out there that give a hoot...
by the way, those are automatic opening doors...yes, we're very fancy now!

Sarah, the front desk was taken out last night, this was my first time seeing the empty spot. They found bright green and yellow carpet under the desk from 1980...yikes! I wanted to frame the scrap but I think the dumpster already ate the entire front desk area...so fun!!!! The coffee bar should be tiled next week and then here comes the big equipment and coffee counter. The new beautiful front desk gets installed tomorrow...wowee...I'll keep you posted.