Praising God...

I should have updated the blog last night, and I apologize. Both Bill & I were exhausted, relieved, and thankful to God for once again protecting us from lay off at HP. Yesterday (the 29th) was the day they went through and did a major layoff. Bill didn't know the exact #, and that may not be known until later this week when everyone has been notified, as I'm sure there were people off on vacation or out sick yesterday. We believe lay offs are finished for this year, but in this economy, who knows?

We want to thank everyone who prayed for us during this difficult few weeks. Your prayers of peace for us were heard. Your prayers to protect us from lay off's were heard. God is SO good!

Ryan and Kristin have both been concerned, and as soon as Ryan heard the news, he hugged me so tight, I thought I would be squeezed to death! I didn't realize how they were worried over this as well. Kristin was funny, as she later said...."Is it OK to ask for a rock tumbler for my birthday now?"

As we pulled in the drive from swim practice, Bill yelled something goofy out the window to Ryan, and he turned to me and said "It's so good to have my Dad back...he's been gone a long time". It's been over 6 weeks since the rumblings of layoffs were mentioned, and 5 since they said they would be notifying everyone on "Monday"--we went through 5 weekends of "Monday"--with no result. Isn't it ironic--40 days of trial?? They say, most trials are over in 40 days. Thankfully, we can sleep again, and we can't say it enough...Praise God!

I'm pretty sure that once my head hit the pillow last night, I slept better than I have in weeks. I am sure the same is true for Bill....other than a few jitters he has for an MRI this morning on his heart. Keep him in prayer, as they do this final test to determine if it is safe for him to dive on our vacation in a few weeks.

Again....thank you for your prayers, your thoughts, your kind words, and those of you close enough, your hugs!

Saturday full of WOOD!

We woke to a beautiful sunny morning, and by 9 it was in the 60's. A perfect morning for cutting wood!! Perfect or not, that was what was on the agenda for the Richards' household today. If you haven't seen the pile we had to tackle...be sure to check the previous blog update!





We started around 8:30 after coffee, and gathered the tools of the trade, and headed toward the barn. We cut until about 10, and Mr Rex, our neighbor came up to help. The guys got a lot of work done, with Rex pulling, and Bill cutting. Ryan & I loaded and stacked wood. Mr Rex outworked us all!! It was great to have him help.



By lunchtime we had a pretty good pile in the woodshed, and Mr Rex went home to shower, and watch the Ducks game. Bill gave Ryan some splitting lessons, and Ryan did a great job hitting the log every time. It wasn't long before he was hitting the log with that solid "THUD". Unfortunately, it was one tough piece of wood...and Ryan was adament that he was going to get it. He worked for over 20 minutes until he gave the mull to Bill. It took Bill four swings, before he got it. Great job guys!



After lunch and a quick nap....we hit it again for another few hours of work. This time it was Bill & I. We had the kids make supper, and we worked until after 7pm. JUst in time for supper & shower. We accomplished a lot today, and have logs ready for splitting. There is no way I'm going to have Bill split all that by hand, especially with all that is going on with the cardiologist...so we hope to either rent, borrow or purchase a splitter here soon.

From this........

To This......



Stay tuned for more updates!

Wood, wood, wood!

This morning we had a truck load of logs dumped in the yard. Around 9:30AM, this huge truck pulls into the yard. The driver, Benji Brown (doesn't he sound like a cool dude?), decides it is best to put the load in front of the barn. He pulls less than 6 ft from the barn doors, and starts to dump his load. I can just see LOGS slamming through the doors. It took my 13 year old to say "Mom, he knows what he's doing" to get me to realize, yes, he probably did. I just pictured the dump going up, and all those logs sliding right out. On the contrary, I was SO impressed, as he basically laid them down in front of the barn and pulled away...amazing!

So...looks like we have our work cut out for us for the next few weekends--as well as a new log splitter in the future, as I don't want Bill out there trying to split those BIG ones!

Speaking of Bill...he had his Stress test on Monday, and it went great. We were both concerned since the Dr wanted his heart rate doubled, and we were afraid he'd have a hard time getting it there. But, he said he prayed right before he went in, and he knows that is where his strength came from. There were a lot of us praying that morning....thanks for your prayers! He had an echocardiogram at rest and one again at a heart rate of around 160. We are hoping with this info, the Dr can come to a more conclusive diagnosis. I spoke to the nurse yesterday afternoon, and she was shocked that Bill had been in already for his test....as it was just requested on Friday, and already done Monday AM! Thank heavens for cancellations and an awesome receptionist!! The nurse is going to see if she can pull up the results tomorrow and pin down the cardiologist to see if he can read the results, and possibly release Bill to dive.

Kristin has been busy the last few days. She saw an article in Family fun and has been working at building her own little fairy house. She spent at least three days on it. Here it is on day two....

Here it is after she finished it today....she put it out under the cherry trees--so that nothing would bother it. She laid fruit out for them on a table she made,flowers on another table.... there is a bed, a stool and even a pool with a bark slide. She was SO proud of her job. Now, she is waiting for the fairies. The article in this months Family Fun (not the same article as we have posted,but a follow up story) showed a boy who had made a house, and the fairies had come, eaten the fruit, swam in the pool, and messed up the bed. He never saw them, only their evidence. Kristin is anxious to get out there tomorrow to see if the fairies came to play tonight! We will keep you posted!

A Long Week....

We have been very busy this last few weeks, as we’re going in different directions with Bill. He finally had his cardiology appointment today. It all started with him taking a diving class. He had to answer a questionnaire before he could dive, and they then wanted a DR release to allow him to dive. The Dr released him for 12 ft of water in a pool to learn, but would not release him for the 60ft dive for the certification, because of his previous heart issues.

Long story short, she had him have another echocardiogram, and they found, as before, one heart wall thicker than the other. This is of concern as it is what causes sudden death in athletes when they are under exertion. Being that going 30 feet down is considered one atmosphere, and 60 feet is two more atmospheres, the pressure is great, and causes much exertion on the heart. SO, they had him see a cardiologist to make sure it was safe for him to dive. The cardiologist reviewed Bill's echocardiogram again this afternoon, and is concerned, therefore has requested more tests. He asked that Bill bear with him, as he wants to be sure that this is not Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (thicker heart wall on one side, causing the heart to work too hard) SO…Bill goes for an intense stress test on Monday, and another MRI (date TBD), this time on his heart….and then back to the Cardiologist hopefully before Oct 3rd, as this is the date that Bill is supposed to certify for his diving license. It will be the last chance prior to us going on our cruise. We are trusting that the Lord has put this Dr in our hands, as we want to be sure it’s a safe thing—I want Bill to have fun diving, but I also want him to come home with me! Life would be nothing without my best friend.

In the middle of all of this stuff with trying to get the OK to dive, is the stuff he’s going through with the Neurologist for his migraines, and an injured shoulder that he’s having physical therapy for. It is certainly a good thing that we have insurance! The treatment for Migraines has helped, and although he's had a few headaches, my feeling is that with the stress he's been under, they would have been much worse. Today was the first migraine he's had in two months that he had to close the drapes and sleep. Understandable, with how much he's been through with all the DR & therapy appointments the last few months.

IF that’s not enough, the poor guy has been suffering over the last month, worried about his job. They started with a some layoffs 4 weeks ago, and said there were more to come…they thought 3 weeks ago the company would get the rest of the layoffs over, then 2 weeks ago, then this week, then they thought Monday, now they are told the layoffs will be announced on the 29th. It's been very tough on him. SO, I ask that you keep him in prayer, for peace for the work situation, for patience while he goes through all this testing, and for knowledge and good judgement on the part of the DR's. It seems we have a good team--but we know who is ultimatley in charge, and we put our faith in the Lord.

The kids are doing great. We started back to home school group on Monday, and it was fun to have all the kids back together. WE had 38 kids show up for the program, some new ones, and a good majority of returning students. We lost 6 last year to graduation (GED) and 8 more joined us this past week. It looks like a great group. We also started back with our home studies. Some review, as we didn't school all summer as we have in the past. We had a busy summer, it was fun, but now it's time to get back to the grind. It has been good to have a sense of routine.

It will be a quiet weekend at home, and then the wood comes on Tuesday...we're having a load of logs dumped in the field..so we will be busy!! Stay tuned for pictures...as we have very capable kids to help cut, haul & stack now!

Canby Get-Away 9-12 through 9-14

On Wednesday--we received a note in the mail that there was a trailer show in Portland. Bill said "Hey, lets go to Canby, and go to the trailer show"..so we called Jen & Brad and it was a go.

Bill needed to get away from the everyday of HP, as things there have been tense. They go week by week wondering who will be let go, as there are more lay offs to come. I wish they would just get it over with, as the waiting is so hard. We continue to rely on the Lord as we know he is in control over this, but it is so hard to wait and not know the outcome. Another rumor says that HP will close Corvallis by 2013--so if not now, sometime Bill will be out of job. Trust in the Lord...easy words, yet hard to follow sometimes, but we know we must or we will lose our minds!



We headed to Jen & Brady's on Friday afternoon, and arrived around 5pm. Jen & Brady had a date, so we stayed with the kids. It was a fun evening, and the kids did great with us....never missed Mom & Dad until almost bedtime! Brooklyn was watching me read on the couch, so she went to get her books. She looked at me, and in a few minutes was back with her sunglasses. She put them on to read, and when I took mine off and put them on my head to take her picture..she put hers on her head too....way cute!

Saturday, we enjoyed a nice visit, and a trip to the RV show. Ryan and Kristin watched the kids. They do SO well with both of the kids..what one doesn't do, the other does. I wish you'd have heard the messy diaper story. I will spare you the details, but both kids worked together, one holding legs, and the other wiping up the mess..way to go guys!! See Ryan, those Red Cross baby sitting classes paid off--plus your sister has learned too!!

We had a nice day, and a very relaxing weekend. The kids played in the hot tub and then went to bed.



Sunday we woke, and Jason wasn't feeling good, so we skipped church, visited for awhile after an awesome breakfast, then packed up and headed home.

Thanks Jen & Brady for a great weekend getaway...a great bed, and good company! (AND Thankfully, NOT a new trailer..although the temptation was there!!)

Quiet Fall Morning

It was a cool fall morning. The sun was coming up over the mountains as I was working at my desk. I looked out the window at the beauty that God gives us each day with the wonderful view we have. I was not disappointed--there was golden sun streaming across the pasture below us, and fog over the river beyond. It was a memory I wanted captured, so I pulled on a sweater and went out on the porch. It was one of those mornings I could picture my Aunt Cec on the porch with her steaming cup of coffee in Bill's red bathrobe (YES, the same bathrobe you saw at the dump station in the crabbing pictures!!). It's a memory I think of often as she loves the sunrises here, and has never missed one when she's been here, except for rainy mornings.

It was exceptionally quiet, as the kids were still in bed, Bill had already left for work and no one was coming in from the trailer this morning. We've certainly been feast or famine with people here the last 6 weeks. First we had Bill's folks here, and the busy times that having company brings. Then everyone packed up and went to Michigan for 2 1/2 weeks, including kids. It was very quiet here, however, VERY busy as we did the kids rooms. Then the quiet was restored to noise, as the kids came home with Kristin's happy chatter, and Ryan's great humor. Mom & Dad joined them, and we spent a very nice, relaxing 10 days together, with lots of visiting, and not as much running. A few day trips and a weekend of crabbing was our big event. Mom & Dad flew out yesterday, and Chelsea was even laying by the front door, waiting for them to come in this morning.

As the kids woke this morning, the noise level in the house increased, the fog burned off, and the magical morning was only a memory & a picture. We started with jobs, as I worked for the dentist, and then the task of getting the kids school organized for next week was at hand. I had things "around"--but certainly not organized, and certainly not ready for school next week--so that was my big "to do" job today. Thankfully, I got about 75% done, and hope to finish tomorrow.

Today's crisp morning temperatures turned to 90 degrees this afternoon. It no longer felt like fall!!

Bill is still hanging out on a limb with HP, waiting to hear of news regarding his job. They have pushed back the announcement three times now...and now say they will announce at the end of the month. This makes it so hard for morale at work for him. They are laying off 20% of the Corvallis site--and there seems no rhyme or reason, except they seem to be laying off the higher paid employees that have many years with the company. Less benefits & vacation to pay, as well as new employees have less pay & benefits to begin with. We just pray that the Lord will lead us in the direction that he knows is best for us, and pray that we have the patience to wait for the outcome. It's that in-between time we struggle with. Please keep Bill in prayer for peace during this time, as well as for God's will to be carried out.

Our neighbor Sharon was cleaning out her Mom's house (Miss Millie's place) and found a photo of their 60 acre farm (that contains one acre of our property) and brought it over. She was kind enough to loan it to me--Our property is marked...check it out...pretty cool. This was taken June 1978--a year before our house was built. You can seen Rex & Sharon's place...the farm house you see, is now the log home that Bill & Carol live in.

Heading to Jen & Brady's this weekend for a visit and a relaxing time away from the normal....looking forward to it. Plus, I don't have to share Brooklyn & Jason with Grandma's and Aunts!! Lots of snuggles to look forward to!!

We will keep you posted! Check back soon!

Annual Crabbing Fest--Southbeach State Park

Friday started the Annual Crab Fest at South Beach State Park in Newport Oregon.

We arrived around noon, to find that Mike & Kathy had just pulled in, and Evan & Tammy had arrived on Wednesday! We set up while they went for lunch, and Mom & Dad ran to town to get some lunch meat, as I forgot ours.

Kathy, Tammy & I spent the afternoon visiting while some of the guys went out on the boat to crab, while some others napped, and while Kristin tried repeatedly to fly a kite. The guys returned around 6:30 with only 5 crab, and we enjoyed a fire while waiting for the rest of the crew to arrive. Jen & Eric arrived around 7ish, Eric pulling Jen's trailer and the kids. Brady had to work, and we really missed him :(
Rod & Lissa showed up around 8, and we enjoyed a quiet evening after the wind calmed down.

It was nice & cozy in our trailer, as we slept 6--Bill & I deciding we could sleep on the dinette (that folds to a bed) in the kitchen....lets just say it was not uncomfortable, just not long enough. We had pulled our hide a bed out of the trailer in lieu of the lazyboy reclining loveseat. Oh well!! Morning came early, and we both made sure that we would get a nap that afternoon!




After getting dressed, we enjoyed breakfast, coffee, a nice fire and friends. Olin, Tami & Evan's son Olin turned ONE on Saturday the 6th--he learned to show everyone ONE finger (the correct one!) when you asked him how old he would be on his birthday!! The grin that came with it was priceless, and I couldn't get enough!!

Lissa & Rodney's son Brandon turns one on Monday the 8th, so it was only fitting that we have a birthday party camping style on Saturday! Lissa made 36 cupcakes for the kids to frost, and they had a blast. We sang Happy Birthday to Olin & Brandon and they were intrigued by the candles on their cupcakes. Brandon dug right in to his cupcake...and wouldn't give it up. Olin, however, wasn't so sure about his, and while he tasted frosting, is cousin won the cupcake eating contest!!

After presents and lunch, some of the crew headed out on the boat to crab, some napped, some headed to Depot Bay, some headed to the Marine Science Center, and Jen & I had a great visit around the fire, and had the pleasure of keeping Olin while his Mommy & Daddy got out on the boat.

Bill's friend from work stopped by along with his wife. They were too early to join in the crab fest...but we had a nice visit, and it was fun to meet Dick, who we hear so much about.

Everyone returned to camp by 6:30--our ever fearless crabbing Captain Evan did not let us down-he and his crew brought in 6 more Dungeness Crab, and several red rock crabs. Enough for us to have some great Corn Chowder, chocked full of crab meat!

We enjoyed a fire, lots of laughing and a toast to Eric as he begins another chapter in his life now that his divorce is final. He received a gift of Gentleman Jack, and the bottle was passed around, everyone having a capful (believe it or not, the cap is almost a perfect shot glass!) to toast Eric. Bill ran a shot to Mike, who was in visiting with Kathy who unfortunatley was having some issues with vertigo, and spent most of the day Saturday in bed. Everyone headed into bed well before 11PM as it was a big day.

Jen offered us her bed for the night...and although we had asked for her couch, she insisted on us having the bed, since Brady was not along. It was a great night sleep, and we appreciate you letting us bunk with you Jen! We hope you slept well! Jason came & snuggled with us for a short time...fun to have a little one back in bed!



Sunday brought fog that rolled out quickly, followed by sunshine with no wind!! Why is it always the day you have to go home that it is the nicest?? We enjoyed a fire cooked breakfast of Potatoes, sausage, bacon, onion, peppers & eggs. Bill did a great job, although, I'm sure he missed his cooking buddy Brady.

Brandon had his first haircut. He did great and sat very still. He looks so little boyish now...and of course that made Lissa sad. The year has passed so quickly.

We visited for awhile until we decided it was time to break camp. We all departed by 1ish, and while Bill & Ryan rode in the trailer (not enough room in the truck for 6--and yes, it's legal)--we had quite a suprise when we got to the dump station! Bill thought Mike & Kathy were behind us in line for the dump station....so when I opened the door for Bill, I laughed as he had dressed as the guy off of National Lampoon's Christmas Vaction when he was dumping his RV--only it was Bill who was surprised when he went around the back of the trailer to model his finery, when he realized it was not Mike & Kathy there!! Bill your efforts were not lost, as I got a great laugh, and I'm sure the couple behind us are still wondering about us!


Thanks to Evan and Tami for bringing the boat--to Evan for being such a great crabbing captain and for making Ryan feel like one of the guys, and including him so much...
Thanks to Mike & Kathy for the great corn chowder--Mike we are proud of you for putting it all together with verbal instruction only! (And Kathy--thankful you are feeling better)
Thanks to Mom & Dad for bailing us out with the lunch meat situation....
Thanks to Tam, Evan, Rod, Lissa, Jen (and yes Brady too) for the kid fixes...I loved every minute...
Thanks to Lissa for CUPCAKES!!
Thanks to Eric for enlightening our palates with Oysters & Clams over the fire...
Thanks to Kristin and Ryan for keeping the kids so occupied....
Thanks to Jen for allowing us her bed.....
Thanks to Bill for being the breakfast chef on Sunday morning...it was great....as was the incredible laugh at the dump station....your humor was not wasted...I loved it!

McKenzie Pass & Sisters Wed 9-03-08

We started the day early, packing the cooler as we had no clue where or how long our journey down McKenzie pass would take. As it turned out, we had a beautiful day, and there was little traffic in the pass.



I was a bit surprised at how narrow that road is in places! Thankfully, there is a length limit and no big trucks are back there! I'm not sure how I would handle meeting a big vehicle back there!!

We came across a neat path that we considered taking...but Kristin, Mom nor I were in hiking shoes. We decided the waterfalls would wait until another trip. We also found a lake trail that we'd like to check out in the future.

We stopped at the Obsidian fields, and the lava crater...Ryan had fun crawling all over...Kristin tried, but I called her back as she was in flip flops and a dress! Don't try to tell her she can't do something!! We then meandered down the road to the Observatory....very neat, all made of stone, and every window looked out to a different mountain or butte and the distance from the observatory was noted. The only one we could not see was Mt Hood....at 86 miles away! The day was clear, but not clear enough!!



We then headed into Sisters about 12:45, and hit the city park for lunch. After finding a lost dog, and waiting for its owner, we headed into town for some shopping. Other than a special gift the I picked up....no huge bargains were found, although we always enjoy visiting. Our friend Jennifer Lake was at her gallery, and we had the pleasure of visiting with her again. It's always so fun to see her paintings...wish we could afford them all...and have a house big enough to put them all up. She keeps telling me to "rotate"--but I can't bear to put my favorites away! Maybe I should just get a job at her gallery, and then I could enjoy them all the time!

We are off for a weekend of crabbing at the coast with the Nida clan. Mom & Dad will be joining us...and we will be "cozy" in the trailer. The weather promises to be good, and hopefully, the crabbing will be as good too!! We will keep you posted.

Check back soon!

Kid's trip to MI

The kids spent 8-14 through 8-31 in Michigan. They spent 3 days with Bill's sisters Beth and Karen along with cousin's Chris & Michael and "uncle ummm ummmm ummm oh yeah Jeff"!! The next two days was spent with Grandma & Papa Richards.

After a fun 5 days with Bill's side of the family, they headed to Shawnna's brother Jason's and Aunt Jeannine with cousins Josh, Gabe & Natalie. They had a fun two days, and then took off for Ohio, where Kristin spent 3 days with Big Papa, while Ryan fished at the lake at my parent's place in Bowerston Ohio. It was a whirlwind trip to Aunt Erma & Uncle Sonny's in Rural Valley PA on Monday the 18th, and then back to the lake to spend 2 days before heading back to MI to spend 3 days with Todd & Erika, Bill's cousin.



The kids had a blast! They saw the Detroit Zoo, went to an arts & crafts fair with Indian "stuff", went to a water park, went swimming at cousins, tripped to Ohio & PA, fished, swam, boating, and then heading to Higgins Lake, complete with a trip to Uncle John's Cider Mill and a tour (might I add a VERY special tour) through Todd & Erika's fire station. The kids had a blast. They arrived home on Sunday pooped!!

Both kids were very excited about their rooms---Kristin cried when she saw her floors....she loved them.

Unveiling of the room

Crying as she turns to give Daddy a big hug...

We have 10 days with my folks....so we will be posting fun pictures. A crabbing trip is planned..and a drive to McKenzie Pass--which we tried with Bob & Margaret....and it was closed. It is now open, and we hope we have a good day! We will keep you posted.