We woke to sunny skies, and big puffy clouds on Saturday. It was BEAUTIFUL! We got ready and headed through the pass toward Bend where friend Tony who is a K-9 police officer was participating in the Central Oregon K-9 Dog Trials. 
The pass was beautiful and I thought of all those dear to me who live far away that would have appreciated how beautiful the day was, and how pretty the scenery was. Trust me, I absorbed enough sunshine and beauty for all of us!! After weeks and weeks and weeks of rain, and almost 7 inches this week, Sunshine on Saturday morning was such a blessing...I don't think anything could have kept us inside. Regardless, we were very thankful, as we knew we'd be sitting outside for 3 hours!
Little did we think about sunscreen, especially after the sun dipped behind some clouds after we'd been there about an hour. It was still a nice warm day, but I believe the "magnification" of the sun through those clouds is what did us all in. 
We enjoyed the dogs, and the trials...including an agility course, "find the bad guy" in the box, speed in catching an assailant, being called off one bad guy to head to another, and assisting the officer when he is under attack. It was great to watch all the different things, and these dogs are amazing, as are their trainers/owners. Each of these dogs lives with these officers...day in & day out. Here is our favorite officer Tony and his dog Creck. Creck has been with Tony for about 2 1/2 years now....after Perry, his previous dog retired. Perry, sadly, was put down this past January, a sad day for all. 
Creck & Tony did great in the competition. Although they did not receive any medals, in my opinion, Tony got one of the highest honors ever, when the announcer mentioned that when Tony speaks, his dogs know he means business. He seems to have the respect of fellow officers too. 
You can see the respect, and love this dog has for Tony. 
For example...these two were coming through the box....the way this dog was looking at Tony, he might as well have spoken "Are you OK? Where are we going next? What would you like from me? I Love You Dad!" I know, alot to read from a picture....but you see so much when they are out together. 
This is a picture of two other Springfield officers and their dogs. Daren & Cyrill on the left #2, Brian & Bronko center #7, and of course Tony and Creck. 
Creck over the gate--awesome....
This was the winner of the entire trial....Brian & Bronko...they did a great job!! Congrats!
After visiting on the field, we headed off with Nate, Katie, Audrie, Tony, Tina, Maddy & one other Springfield officer Daren--(Who, by the way was lots of fun!) to Pilot Butte Diner/Burger Joint...best sandwiches around!! Charlie was amazed we had a police escort to supper!!
It was a great day...lots of fun, and can't wait for the Springfield Trials in 3 weeks. Come on out...June 26th...noon-3! If you are interested in going, let me know, and I'll get you the details! Enjoy the pics below....I've whittled them down from the 888 I took!!
Memorial Day weekend. ALMOST always a weekend at home for the Richards family! We do not like the crowds of Memorial Day weekend, and have only camped when there has been a big group of us with reservations somewhere. After Bill got home from school on Friday, and Shawnna work...it was the weekend!! We had no big plans...and it was a usual movie night. We sat down to watch "The Road". HOWEVER...after 10 minutes..Kristin & I bailed...as this was not a family movie! About 10 minutes later, Ryan bailed! The three of us played a game of cribbage, and Charlie & Bill continued to watch the movie downstairs! This is the first time in a over a week, I've been thankful that our big TV wasn't working. As it is an expensive fix...it is going to hang on the wall, until we decided it's a worthy expense....600 to fix, or buy a new one, or do without? At some point, Charlie is going to be sick of us piling into "his room"!!
A surprise for Kristin was friend McKenzie arrived from Washington to spend the weekend with her grandparents. Saturday, they were inseparable, and enjoyed Saturday, the night Saturday night and all day Sunday. They were very "into girly stuff" on Saturday....and I caught them in the kitchen, doing oatmeal facials.
I'd say they were a little heavy on the oatmeal...as the kitchen was covered as much as they were!
You could have eaten it all though, since they mixed oatmeal, honey and half & half....what a facial! Boy were they surprised when I walked in with the camera. Sunday, we headed to church, and then over the pass to Sisters for the day. We were able to catch up with our artist friend Jennifer and check out her new place. We did some shopping and then headed to Bend to check out the outlets, and of course Harbor Freight. We rounded the day out with dinner at Pilot Butte--and then had a nice drive back home. Monday was a lazy-but also productive day, as Bill got a lot of his programming done for school, and I was able to catch up with some work for the dentist and some blogging. Ryan & Charlie went fishing--no luck, but had a good time. Since Bill & I missed our Sunday afternoon nap...we had a make up nap!! After naptime...Kristin & I did some planting in the front, cleaned up the porch and have the pots looking good!! All in all a good day! Tuesday brought an overcast day...little rain..and between the drops the kids & I got some much needed yard work done. We got the mole plants in the ground, lots of trimming done, and the grass cut before the rain got too heavy, and the weed wacker gave up the ghost for the day. Again..another productive day...yard work & laundry. What more could a girl ask for?! Bill has been suffering for weeks with a migraine....please keep him in prayer. Until next time....
This past weekend, Bill & I celebrated our 22nd wedding anniversary. We've actually been together 24 (dated 2 years prior to getting married) and have enjoyed every year together. Our biggest test to our marriage, 1st kids, then job loss last year. Thankfully, I can say, we've overcome those and put our trust in the Lord and have moved forward. Being married to your best friend is certainly a plus when trials enter in!!
As a surprise, I booked a room at Anchor Pier Lodge in Newport. Sean and Tracey had originally found this place for us last year, and we decided to go back. We love the room, the bay, and the sea lions. The only drawback is the street parking. The hospitality and the cleanliness are incredible!
I blew the surprise the night before we left, simply, because it's hard to lie--and even though it's for a surprise gift, lying is not something that meshes well, and therefore, I screwed up, hours before the planned surprise! It all worked well though, as Bill suggested I leave with him early in the morning, and head to school with him, bum around while he had class,and then us leave from school, and head over from Salem, cruising down the coast...stopping at one of our favorite places for lunch. So, it was, I went to school, dropped him off, and headed off to have the suburban detailed. It was well worth the $27.00---it was washed, cleaned inside & out, rims done, the whole nine yards...while I sat in the sun and enjoyed my coffee!!
Charlie came to hang with Ryan, and Kristin spent the weekend with Grandma Alice. Both kids had a blast--Charlie & Ryan went to see Robin Hood, and Kristin just loves her "girl time" with Grandma. It so happened that Kristin & Grandma had their plans set before we had ours!! Convenient!!
I picked up Bill at noon, and we headed to the coast...stopping for lunch, and hitting the outlets on our way to Newport. We arrived in Newport about 5, checked in, and unloaded the car. Being we were right in old town....the car did not move all weekend!! We walked everywhere....it was awesome.
We had a great nap, and then headed to dinner around 8pm, and decided to try the Rogue Ales Public House on Bay street just down from where we were staying. I was a bit hesitant, as it was full of fisherman when we arrived, but we were not disappointed with the food or the service. Both were incredible. I had some fresh brewed Root Beer that was incredible...even more so with a splash of Hazelnut rum in it (the waiters idea, I would have NEVER put those two together)...but it was wonderful. Rueben (our waiter, not our food!) was great, and made our visit there so enjoyable, that we headed back on Saturday to try some other good foods. By the time we perused the menu, we decided two trips was not enough....what a variety of different foods they have....Blue cheese on a hot dog with grilled onions...YUMMY!! Pork sliders is our next venture!
We spent Saturday being lazy, bumming around Newport Old Towne, and watching the fishing traffic. I had no idea what a busy port this was. The weather was perfect, and we spent some time on the deck, enjoying the sun and the sea lions. While the journal in the room indicated that the noise from them bothered some, it never really bothered us.
Sunday, we headed home, wishing our time could be extended, but enjoyed the time we were blessed with. My best friend, two and a half days to ourselves, what more could a girl ask for??!!
Chelsea is our oldest dog now. She came to us after Kahlua died, and what we hoped would be a good companion for Bailey. What we have learned, is that Chelsea is a loner, a farm dog, and has the instinct to protect. She is 1/2 shepherd and 1/2 Maremma. Maremma's are bred to be watchdogs on farms, mainly to be with the sheep. We knew she had an instinct to protect, as we've watched that in her barking and her possessive nature about her property line! Over the years we've watched her keep an eye on the kids...always near where they were when the were little....and still watchful when Kristin is outside alone. What we didn't realize, was the nature she really has to heard, to keep her charges safe. Kristin was outside today working with me in the yard, and she had her chicks out there pecking around in the grass. We weren't paying close attention, since they hadn't moved much from the area she put them in, but they started heading toward the driveway. To us it was no big deal, but to Chelsea, she rounded those chicks up, and headed them back to the grass in no time! It was very cool to watch.
Not only did she lay out there with the the entire time, but after she hearded them back to the grass, she stayed close, making sure they didn't get that far from her again.
This is a side we've not seen of Chelsea. However, it was great to see her gentle nature, and even "mothering" side when a chick ended up under the steps. Chelsea was right to her side, and waited with the chick until Kristin got there and got it out of the tall, tangly grass. Way to go Chelsea..you've earned another day or two of keep. Well done!
What a beautiful day it was....
We headed to church, and enjoyed a great service with Rod & Lissa....then a good lunch at KFC, which allowed us to visit awhile before going home. Brandon is getting so big!
We arrived home, and it was so nice, and Kristin's chicks are getting so big, that we told her they needed out of the cage for awhile. So, she let them out in the front. They had a great time picking around in the grass. They didn't stray too far from her though. She has become their mother hen! We keep trying to convince her to give them to a family that has a group of chicks, but she is pretty adamant on wanting to try to do this....now she has to convince Daddy...Mom is a sucker for pets of any kind!
We took our usual Sunday afternoon nap...a quick one mind you, and then we piled in the car, and headed off for a ride together. We hit an old logging road outside of Sweet Home,and took it all the way to Cascadia....a few side trips between here & there mind you. We saw Foster Lake & Sweet Home from heights we've never seen before (Aunt Cec would have loved it!), Green Peter Dam from 2500 ft...and some great views. It was an amazing drive, and God's beauty was all around us.
Foster Lake and Sweet Home
The house from down in town....with a close zoom, then cropped..a bit grainy, but pretty good for probably over a mile away!
Green Peter Lake & Cascade Mountain Range
We ended up out by Cascadia park, so we took Bill to see the Wolves out there. I counted 30 in one pen, and there were many, many more out there. I'm not sure if it's a rescue, or what the deal is. Most of them were beautiful white wolves. Bill tried to get someone's attention to talk to someone, but you don't dare open a gate where there are 30 white wolves waiting to greet you! No one ever came to the gate...one of those unspoken blessings from God, I'm sure. We have only been down to 2 dogs for two weeks....surely it's not time for another!
Afterward, we headed to Skyline for dinner, and then home to get ready for Home School group tomorrow....a great day, and a fine ending to the weekend!
We were so excited to get out...the weekend forecast was awesome...and I was out of work 1/2 hour early, Charlie was already at the house when I got home, Bill had the trailer hooked, tires checked, airbags filled, and ready to go. Way to go---thanks Kristin & Bill for working hard to get things ready this week. Thanks to Brady for smoking the awesome trout you sent home with Ryan!
We loaded dogs and piled in the truck...headed out of the driveway by 5:45--and were at camp at 6:05---you gotta love that! We set up, Charlie & Bill got the fire going, and we enjoyed bratwurst for supper. 
An hour or so after supper, the rain clouds rolled in. What a bummer! We did not pull out the awning because it was supposed to be nice all weekend. I guess that's what we get for living in Oregon, and being in the Cascade Mountains! We headed inside, played a few games of cribbage, and then headed to bed.
Saturday, we woke to partly cloudy skies. We started a fire, and put up the awning. We had showers on & off, but nothing major...at least not until we started off on a hike, and got poured on!! We headed back, dried off, some napped while others watched a movie....and when we woke, the sun was out! Charlie had already restarted the fire, since it had gone out, and we enjoyed chili in the dutch oven for supper...always love fire cooking. After dinner, we enjoyed a few hours of campfire, visiting, stories, and just relaxing. 
Nothing like a good fire. We headed in around 11, Charlie & Bill watched the end of the movie that they had started earlier, the kids headed to bed, and I hit the shower...ah...smokey hair!
Sunday we woke to beautiful sunshine. To tide us over until we got the fire started, I made a few donuts. Next time we will pack more fixin's for donuts! We decided to hang at camp, and do our devotion around the campfire. Each person took a turn reading a section from the chapter we would have read from at church this morning...and we had the commentary to study it deeper. It was a rich time, and Charlie rounded us out in prayer.
We enjoyed a great breakfast that Bill cooked over the fire...French Toast and bacon. 
After cleanup, we headed out once again to hike...but this time were rewarded with a sweet hike, great weather, and some good pictures!
We headed back to camp, relaxed a bit, and headed home. Enjoy the pictures!
Friday was a rush home from work, eat, and out the door again with Bill, Jen & Brady as we headed to the Marriage Conference at Calvary Chapel Corvallis. We arrived a few minutes late, but did not miss any of the speaker. We heard Ken Ortiz from Calvary Chapel Spokane, who does many marriage conferences. He was incredible. On Friday night he said "In wrapping up for this evening...." We all looked at our watches, and it was already 90 minutes since he'd started to speak...it felt like 15. He was engaging, funny, and best of all, downright honest.
We left the conference, and headed to Shari's for dessert. We walk in and run into Scott Hicks, who we had just met a few weeks before at Christwalks Award dinner for a contest that Kristin had entered. As it turned out, he knew both Robert & Charlie, and was doing the music there for the evening. He is James Taylor gone Christian! He writes all of his own stuff, and was just a great guy to listen to. He remembered us (at least he acted as if he did) and we told him we needed more CD's....if you stop by Shari's in Lebanon...and Scott is working...make sure to ask him for a CD. He's incredible!! Here's his YouTube page. My favorite is Daddy are you Watching, but I don't see it on Youtube yet! We need to collect the rest of his CD's as Robert says he has more than one!
We headed home, and headed to bed, as we head to be on the road at 7:30 to Corvallis for day two. We were not disappointed, and spent from 9:00-3:30 enjoying the conference, the day and the company. I came home refreshed, renewed, and WOW...what work it is to keep a good marriage going! I do know this...I loved this saying and will remember it always. "I'm at my best when I'm with you..." Awesome!
Ryan & Kristin were great to take care of the kids while we were gone.
We headed home, and spent the rest of the afternoon & evening hanging out. McKenzie (Kristin's friend from Washington and grand daughter to our neighbor) was down for a visit, and has been here all week. Her Aunt Adele, also our neighbor, bought McKenzie & Little Ryan (her brother) a pair of chicks--Some type with the word "Red" in it. 
They are cute little rust colored chicks. They kids have fun playing with them all Saturday afternoon.
We had awesome weather....what a beautiful weekend...Thank You Lord for the sunshine....it's always prettiest when the sun shines!
We enjoyed a good steak supper, a great evening on the porch (the weather & the view were perfect) 
and then a movie after the little kids went to bed...."Old Dogs". Such a funny, clean, family movie. We all headed to bed around 12, and crashed!
Sunday brought a nice sunny morning, and we headed off to church. Melissa and Brandon met us there, and we enjoyed a great service. We headed back home for lunch a nice visit with everyone before Lissa & Brandon headed out...which Jen & Brady took off shortly after...taking Ryan along with them for a few days break...and a chance to go fishing with Brady!
Just before everyone left...the phone rang....the neighbor. Mom would not let the kids take the chicks home...would Kristin like to keep them until they were big enough to pass on to a family with adult chickens? Kristin thought they would never ask. She spent the afternoon getting everything organized and together....(the neighbor had EVERYTHING she needed) and as she was playing with them on the porch Bill said "When I saw those chicks earlier this week....I just KNEW they were going to end up HERE!" He's a good daddy....
We will keep you posted. Here are the pics from a great weekend!! Enjoy!
Today was a sad day at the Richard's household. Probably more so for me, since I'm the real animal lover in the house.
Bailey came to us through a friend, who knew we were looking for a companion for Kahlua. Hey, almost free puppies--so, when Kristin was 3 weeks old, we headed out to look at puppies. Margaret, Bills Mom was out to visit and thought I was totally insane for even looking into getting another dog. But, we did, and she has been a great dog.
She had a soft heart, and always was wanting to care for whatever animals we had. When Ashley had kittens and abandoned them, Bailey would gently pick them up in her mouth, and carry them to her bed, to try to care for them. When a neighbors cat got hit on the road, and left a litter of kittens, Bailey sought out her kittens under a house, and brought one home, looking at us as if to say "Can I keep it". I wish I had a picture of that cat dangling from her mouth...it's whole head gently held in her big mouth, and the body hanging. We did let her keep the kitten, which Ashley ended up nursing, as she'd just been fixed, and little did we know, she had a litter in her, too soon to deliver. She had milk come in,and saved this little kitten. 
Bailey would share her bed with whatever animal we had...as she did with Ashley, and 'Her kitten" Sinatra.
Bailey has been so sad since Kahlua crossed over that rainbow bridge in Sept of 2001....she has never been the same since her caretaker went away...which is when I became her "mother"---when inside and she outside, she would follow from window to window, wanting to be near. A more faithful companion I never had.
This last year has been tough on Bailey, although she had trouble getting up & down steps, she would not sleep downstairs...it was next to where we were or nothing. She didn't seem to be in too much pain, but did move very slow, in which we've especially noticed this last 6 months.
It was a tough decision to do, but I've always been a firm believer in not keeping an animal for yourself, but to say goodbye when it is time. Even to the last minute...she was worried that I was crying....what a faithful girl. 
Bailey, the morning she left us...
It was very peaceful, she simply closed her eyes, and fell asleep. I am thankful to Dr Amy and the staff at Brownsville Animal Clinic, as they allowed me to be with her to the end...as well as let me sit as long as I wanted with her afterward. To them, I will always be grateful.
Ann Landers had this in her column many years ago...and I was reminded of it this morning when my cousin Sarah said she'd be praying for me.....while this never speaks of heaven...it's there with my Father that I know we will be again!
Thank You Bailey, for your wonderful spirit, your loving gentleness, for the way you always took care of our kids as they grew, and for worrying over me right up until your last breath. You will be missed. My desk chair is a lonely place right now without you laying right beside me.
THE RAINBOW BRIDGE
Ann Landers Version
There is a bridge connecting Heaven and Earth.
It is called the Rainbow Bridge because of its many colors.
Just this side of the Rainbow Bridge,
there is a land of meadows,
hills and valleys with lush green grass.
When a beloved pet dies,
the pet goes to this place.
There is always food and water and warm spring weather.
The old and frail animals are young again.
Those who are maimed are made whole again.
They play all day with each other.
There is only one thing missing.
They are not with their special person who loved them on earth.
So, each day they run and play until
the day comes
when one suddenly stops playing and looks up!
The nose twitches!
The ears are up!
The eyes are staring!
And this one suddenly runs from the group!
You have been seen,
and when you and your special friend meet,
you take him or her in your arms and embrace.
Your face is kissed again and again
and again,
and you look once more
into the eyes of your trusting pet.
Then you cross the Rainbow Bridge together,
never again to be separated.
Today was a beautiful day. Bill & I got some things done this morning, Kristin arrived home at 11 from her sleep over, and Ryan's plans with his friend got canceled because his friend woke up with the stomach flu. I guess we were supposed to spend the weekend together!
It was such a beautiful afternoon, and Bill had lots of homework, and Kristin wanted to hang out with McKenzie who was visiting her Grandma (who happens to live next door to us), so Ryan, Charlie & I took off with camera's in hand to Cascadia State Park, which is about 15-20 minutes from here. We weren't sure if our destination would be the waterfalls, or the Petroglyphs.
We started down the river trail, and decided to head to the Indian Cave. The river was beautiful, the day was beautiful, and the wind was blowing a perfect breeze, the temperature at 70 was incredible for hiking, and we headed out. As we walked along the river, my mind continued to thank God for these blessings around us. This just didn't all appear, it's not all kept in harmony with the changing of the seasons, but by God's big plan....God's wonderful creation. My feelings of feeling so close to God were confirmed when Charlie said he was really enjoying walking through the woods, the beautiful greens, the spring flowers and the river, and he said that he couldn't help but think that this is what the Garden of Eden looked like. He quoted how God put Adam in the garden and said....all you have to do is sit in the cool of the day, name my animals, and enjoy my creation. Then sin entered the perfect world.
I can say, I felt no sin, only gratitude, only the blessings that God put around me for not only this afternoon, but every day when I wake up and do nothing more than roll over to face the window, and that view that I will never take for granted is there...ever changing, but ever beautiful. Thank You Lord for all you've done for me, for my family, for my friends. My your blessings shine through me always. May I be a living testimony to you.
Our afternoon of walking through the woods brought us upon a few caves. We shared the stories that Tony our Forest Service friend shared with us regarding the cougars...Charlie approached cautiously, when Ryan growled like a cougar....now, mind you, Charlie is a big guy..but can he jump!! We had a good laugh...thanks for laughing with us Charlie.
We arrived at the cave, and met another family there Geocaching. We shared what we knew about the cave, and enjoyed catching some sun, and taking in the pictures on the wall. We took the path along the river back, and played on the shore in a few spots, and enjoyed a great hike. We figure we did about 4 miles....and enjoyed taking it all in. Sorry that Bill & Kristin didn't join us...as it just didn't seem the same without my best friend....but there will be more times, and homework is important stuff! Enjoy the pictures!
The pass was beautiful and I thought of all those dear to me who live far away that would have appreciated how beautiful the day was, and how pretty the scenery was. Trust me, I absorbed enough sunshine and beauty for all of us!! After weeks and weeks and weeks of rain, and almost 7 inches this week, Sunshine on Saturday morning was such a blessing...I don't think anything could have kept us inside. Regardless, we were very thankful, as we knew we'd be sitting outside for 3 hours!
We enjoyed the dogs, and the trials...including an agility course, "find the bad guy" in the box, speed in catching an assailant, being called off one bad guy to head to another, and assisting the officer when he is under attack. It was great to watch all the different things, and these dogs are amazing, as are their trainers/owners. Each of these dogs lives with these officers...day in & day out. Here is our favorite officer Tony and his dog Creck. Creck has been with Tony for about 2 1/2 years now....after Perry, his previous dog retired. Perry, sadly, was put down this past January, a sad day for all. 
You can see the respect, and love this dog has for Tony. 
For example...these two were coming through the box....the way this dog was looking at Tony, he might as well have spoken "Are you OK? Where are we going next? What would you like from me? I Love You Dad!" I know, alot to read from a picture....but you see so much when they are out together. 
This is a picture of two other Springfield officers and their dogs. Daren & Cyrill on the left #2, Brian & Bronko center #7, and of course Tony and Creck. 
Creck over the gate--awesome....
This was the winner of the entire trial....Brian & Bronko...they did a great job!! Congrats! 
