The Barton's Adventures

First Motorcycle Ride and Full Week of 2012

2012-01-10T22:01:00.000-08:00

Well it was a wonderful weekend of sickness and health. Matt and I were both sick on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday but were well enough to take the motorcycle out for our first short and cold ride of the year. We took it over to LCC so I could practice on it. I was a little shaky and need to take the motorcycle 2 course before going out on the open road all by myself. We found my dream bike at Ramsey Waite, but didn't act fast enough and someone already put a deposit on it. Boo. So I'm going to hold out and see what else comes up as the weather gets nicer.

Not only was it the first bike ride of the year, but also the first full week back to school. I know it's only Tuesday night, but on my goodness am I already tired. It's like the start of the school year all over again. The mornings are great and then right when they get in from lunch recess they are crazy. They're not used to being in school all day so I can tell they're tired and I still have to teach them things. Half the time in the afternoon they look at me like, "Mrs. Barton, why are you telling me this? I'm bored." And I just feel bad and I try to make it fun, but I can only do so much. My goodness. They all came back from break and I just looked at them and they looked so much older; almost like 2nd graders already. It was crazy! They are getting so big and so smart. I'm such a proud teacher.
We'll see how the rest of the week goes. I'm excited for our MLK activities. It's just finding the time to do them. I'm loving first grade though and I'm so glad I did my student teaching in first grade because I have so many great materials. We did our Martin Luther King song, He Had A Dream, today and I'm excited to sing it all week. I think it will really help the kids remember what he stood for. Just like our golden rule, "Treat others the way you want to be treated."

I just love hearing the small things that they remember. It really puts a smile on my face to hear that they remember some of the more important things like the golden rule than how many combinations of 9 you can make. I love all of my little students, it is so awesome to see them grow everyday.

Goodbye 2011 Hello 2012

2011-12-31T20:49:00.000-08:00

Well it's the end of the year. New Year's resolution: to update this blog a little bit more.

A little about our Christmas adventures this year. We started by having Christmas with Matt's mom and sister Cassie. Cassie took us all out to dinner after Matt whopped us all in Monopoly (never let him get the orange properties).

The next day we made the 4 hour drive up to Seattle to spend Christmas day with my family (note the pictures). We had lots of fun hanging out with my parents, my brother, sister-in-law, and new nephew.

A few days later it was time to get back in the car and make the 7 hour drive down 101 to Yachats to see Matt's dad. We only got a little lost around Olympia but made it back to 101, which changes its name a lot as it goes. To make the time make the time go by, I started taking pictures of city signs along the coast as we came by. I got most of them, even if they are a little blurry. We stopped at Pelican Brewery in Pacific City outside Tillamook for some lunch and brews all while watching to wonderful storm that was happening the whole drive down.

After some more fun with more family, it was time to come home to the kitties, they missed us dearly as we did them, but it was not before a stop at the casino. We did pretty well and took up playing Black Jack which is a lot more fun than the slots, but just doesn't have the bight shiny lights.
We finally made it home, unloaded the car, put everything away, grabbed a brew and sat down for some good family time with the kitties.

And now after only a day at home, we're going to ring in the New Year doing what we love best. Sitting on the couch, watching TV and/or playing video games, beer in hand, kitties in lap, and a fire in the fireplace. We thank God everyday for all of our blessings. It's been a good year in 2011, or as Matt calls it for me the year of the gimp, so here's hoping that 2012 will be the year of healing.

We have lots of great new adventures to look forward to this next year. Happy 2012!!

Maui Vacation Photos

2011-08-25T12:20:00.001-07:00

Well it was a great, but very fast trip to Maui. Our last day we did a date day out to Lahaina again. We tried to drive around thenorth side of the island but I got too car sick, so we just stuck to lunch at Bubba Gumps, a little shopping, sitting down at the beach, and thendinner at Kimo's.We made it back home in time to play one last round of Hand and Foot with Doug and Nancy.Here are some highlight photos from our trip! Our trip up Hana to see thewaterfalls, black sandbeach and amazing views at Wai'anapanapa State Park, relaxing on the beach, fishing, and showing off my one catch. It was a great trip!

A Day of Beach and Sewing

2011-08-22T23:57:00.000-07:00

Well today was quite the relaxing day. Yesterday Aunt Nancy and I started a quilt of my classroom. It's Dr. Seuss theme, which I have decided my rooms from now on will be themed. I'm very excited to see how it will turn out. I have helped, so I can say I made it.

Today we went to 5 Palms in Kihei and just sat on the beach and read our books and waded in the water a bit. It was really hot today so we only spent about an hour or two there. After that we came home, freshened up, and Matt made his famous jambalaya for dinner.

It's sad we only have one more day here, but we'll have to come back again soon for a longer time. We've realized that a week is just not enough. Tomorrow is date night and last minute shopping trips for gifts.

Gone Fishin'

2011-08-22T00:35:00.001-07:00

Well today was an awesome day. We finally went fishing in Maui! We chartered a boat for 4 hours and only caught one little tuna called an Aku or a Skipjack, which I reeled in. The fish whisperer never fails! We didn't keep the fish cause it's a real oily one and not really good eats. Matt and I are excited to come back and do some more fishing. Hopefully we can when the whales are here too.

Yesterday we went to the Swap Meet where Nancy sells her pillow cases. We walked around but couldn't find anything we had to have, but it's great for people watching. After that Matt and I took the car and went to Lahina. We were going to drive around the north side of the island, but since we had been in the car the whole day before, we decided to just go to our beach where we stayed for our honeymoon and catch some sunshine.

Tomorrow it's off to do some more snorkeling and catch some more sunshine. I can't believe we only have a few days left here. it seems like we just got here.

Hana Hwy

2011-08-18T09:15:00.000-07:00

Well what an excellent day we had! Yesterday we went to Mile Post 14 and snorkeled with our certified dive instructor Lissie. We saw some great fish, but the water started to get rough; Matt and I were really far out from the shore so we headed back in. Nancy and Lissie went to this channel that was much closer and had some really good views, but Matt and I missed it. I guess it's good we still have a couple more days.

Today we went up the Hana Hwy. It was probably my favorite trip up there so far. Nancy gave us this CD that Emily and Kyle found in their rental car and it's all the sites to see along the Hana Hwy. It was pretty good, but I wished we had the map to go along with the disc. But we saw more waterfalls and hikes than we had before because of the disc, and I didn't get carsick (thanks dramamine), so it was an awesome trip up to Hana. We also found a really nice beach just pass Hana at Hamoa. The water was so clear and the white sand was just breath-taking. There was this cute little island that you could see from the shore and we heard the story from Craig, the narrotor on the Hana disc, about two brothers going off to war during WWII and they swam to the island, climbed to the top and planted coconut seeds so that if they didn't come back from the war their family could look over at the island and see the coconut trees growing big and strong as they would have. Luckily the story had a happy ending and the sons came back and now there are lots of coconut trees growing, but two really stand out and you know that those are the ones the brothers planted.

It started raining when we first started and as we stopped in Keanae to buy some banana bread from Aunt Sandy's Fruit Stand, it started mansooning! It reminded me of Oregon, but it's much nicer when it rains in Hawaii since its' warm. The rain stopped shortly after leaving Keanae and the waterfalls were really nice right after. It didn't rain enough closer to Hana so the waterfalls there, and especially at Haleakala National Park at Kahului, which is the coastal side of the park, the waterfalls were pretty puny. We also tried to find Charles Lindbergh's grave site, but I guess we'll have to save that for the next trip.

Pictures to come!

It's Been A While

2011-08-18T08:49:00.000-07:00

Well as the title says, it's been a while. We have been crazy busy over the last year. The schoolyear finished up, Matt got his Masters, I lost my job, then got it back but still don't know what I'm doing. I finally found out that I do have a room, but still have to share. I'm crossing my fingers that it's not true; I just want my own space for once, is that too much to ask?

This summer has been crazy busy as well. Matt of course has been working his tookus off, I've been shopping way too much and teaching sports camp again. But now to reward our hard work we have come out to Maui to get our summer on and see Doug and Nancy.

As I sit and write it's way too early in the morning on Maui, but since I'm still on Oregon time my body thinks it 9am. The rooster is crowing again and the sun is rising. It's pretty awesome, except for the rooster who may have to die this trip if he wakes me up every morning. I have already Googled coq au vin recipes, so watch out rooster.

Yesterday when we got in, we went out to lunch with Nancy, Lissie, and Doug. Then we went to Doug's office and he showed us around, looking very proud to have some of his family here. Lissie is finishing up nursing school in December, so she's already starting to scope out places. After that we came back to our home away from home, the O'hana at Doug and Nancy's. We freshened up and then Matt whipped us all at a game of Hand and Foot. Don't ever believe him when he says that he doesn't know how to play a game, he lies.
We had dinner on the new fabulous deck, and then watched All The Queen's Men (Matt fell asleep, it didn't really blow his skirt up).

And now it's onto day 2. We're going over to Lahina I believe for some beach, sun, snorkeling, and reading. Wa-hoo!

The Ohana

2010-10-07T22:45:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of Doug and Nancy's ohana. It is pretty awesome.

The outside of the little house.

The bathroom The bedroom

The living room

And the very cute little kitchen

We've just made ourselves at home, can you tell? :o)

A Night With a Ukulele

2010-10-07T22:42:00.000-07:00

Well for our second to last night in Hawaii, Uncle Doug and Aunt Nancy took us to a concert at the Maui Arts and Cultural Center. We saw one of their new favorite artists perform, Jake Shimabukuro, who plays the ukulele. Oh my goodness was he amazing! I've put two videos I found of him on YouTube. One is my favorite song he played tonight called Blue Roses Falling and the other is his interpretation of Bohemian Rhapsody (which was really good. I was pretty impressed).

Nancy tweaked her back last night so she stayed home and Matt and I went back over to Ka'anapali to snorkel and then had lunch down in Lahina at Bubba Gumps. We are both having a really good time and are sad to leave, but we're already planning our trip back here again next year.

Only one more day; gotta make it count!

You may not be able to see the whole video, but you really just need your ears.

Happy Birthday Matt!!

2010-10-06T20:46:00.000-07:00

Well we celebrated Matt's birthday in style today. Matt wanted to drive to Hana, so I took my motion sickness pill and went right along with him. It was a beautiful drive, much nicer this year than when we went last year. We stopped a lot more places this time as well. We found another stand for banana bread (the stand we went to the other day was much better in our opinion), we saw some waterfalls, multiple views of the ocean and beautiful coast, and lots of really coolvegetation. When we made it to Hana we stopped at a few of the local churches, one that was built in 1838, and the other was St. Marys which was a very cute little Catholic church.We also stopped at the Hasegawa General Store, which is a little store that has almost anything and everything you could think of.

Hardware tools right next to the produce, postcards next to batteries, shirts, cutting boards, ice cream, etc. It was really cool and now we can say that we've been there. We made our way back toward the center of the island, I getting pretty carsick, and tried to find somewhere to eat.

We were going to stop at Mama's Fish House, but didn't really feel like paying $40 a plate for lunch. So since we took the main road from Hana we ended up closer to Kehei than Pukalani, so we went to Kehei for lunch...BIG MISTAKE. There is no good place to eat there! It probably took us 45 minutes to find somewhere that was an actual restaurant to sit down and have a beer. Course then the place we finally found didn't even have anything on tap and then they were out of one of my favorite local Maui Brewing Co. brews, so it was almost a disaster. Luckily their BBQ Kalua pork sandwich was really good, so I left much more happy than when I arrived.

We came back to Doug and Nancy's, relaxed, made a birthday dinner of steaks with gorgonzola cheese, wine, and some Hand and Foot. Only a few more days to soak up the beach and some

rays.

Date Night!

2010-10-05T21:10:00.000-07:00

Well of course it was another great day on Maui. Nancy, Matt, and I went to Wailea and the beach and snorkeling was REALLY good. I think it was my favorite beach here yet. We gotlots of sun and saw someawesome fish. Some little fish (not sure of the name) were right up near the surface and so close to us it seemed like you could just reach out and touch em! This time snorkeling we saw some fish we had never seen before which was a lot of fun for Matt and I.After some lunch on the beach and a quick beach shower, we went to the Grand Wailea mall and looked at some stores there (Coach was there but I resisted and just looked and did not buy. I was pretty proud of myself).

After a little more shopping, we came back home and watched a movie with Doug and Nancy. They fell asleep half way through it, so Matt and I came back to the Ohana.After coming back to Doug and Nancy's and having a proper shower, Matt and I got all gusseyed up and went out to Lahaina for some shopping and dinner. We had a little date night and went to our favorite restaurant Kimo's. We had some amazing fresh fish; I had some lobster stuffed Mahi Mahi, and Matt had some

parmesan crusted Ona.

It was all really good and we had the exact same waiter as we had last year on our honeymoon. We asked him if he had been working there a year ago, he said he had, and we told him he waited on us when we came for our honeymoon. He was just a good waiter that he gave us some free dessert; Hula Pie, sooo good.

We're looking forward to tomorrow!

De Fish! De Fish!

2010-10-04T21:56:00.000-07:00

Well of course it was another great day. Uncle Doug had to work so Aunt Nancy, Matt, and I went over to Ka'anapali beach to snorkel and lay in the sun. Matt and I both got a little red color but the weather and snorkeling was great. We all went to the Westin Ka'anaplai, where Matt and I had our Hawaii honeymoon. Nancy had never snorkeled there so we thought it would be fun. The surf there is just like Black Rock, which if you've never been to Black Rock it is a very sharp surf. The water breaks very sharply on the sand and it makes it hard to get out of the water. We all got out just fine, maybe a little sand in our pants, but no broken ankles this trip. After snorkeling we went to lunch at Duke's, named after the very famous surfer in Hawaii. Then we came back to the house to relax and get out of the sun. We had pulled pork and pineapple pizza for dinner and watched The Guns of Navarone. Neither Matt nor I had seen it, and it was a really good movie. Uncle Doug translated some of the German for us. Matt and I were able to stay up past 9 tonight! We are excited for another day tomorrow and can't believe it's almost over. I guess we'll just have to come back again soon.

I love the smell of plumerias in the morning!

2010-10-03T21:14:00.000-07:00

What a great day we had yesterday.We tried to go out and snorkel at Mile Post 14 but it was pretty windy and we couldn't see much in the water since it was kind of dirty. Nancy said it was from the rain and washing all the silt into the water. So we drove down to Lahina and went to lunch at Cheeseburger in Paradise. Since it was so windy around the island it was not nearly as hot down in Lahina as it usually is.After lunch we walked around and did a little window shopping. Then we drove up around the north part of the island, which Matt and I didn't do last time we were here and good thing too, this road was almost as bad as the road the Hana. Oh man it was 1 lane for a good chunk of it! We stopped a few times to take some pictures and even stopped at a little green stand (I think it was called Julia's) and they claimed to have the best banana bread on the planet, I think she was pretty darn close. It was SO good.

After that we stopped at this little gallery which was a really nice gallery. You wouldn't think so coming down this horrible 1 lane stretch of highway. We got a few things there and after getting back to the house, I almost wanted to go back to get a few more things, but I weighed my options and I don't know if I want to go back on that road.

When we got back to the house we cooked up some dinner and watched the Duck game again. I made it till 9:00 again and then fell asleep. I slept in longer this morning so we'll see if I make it longer tonight.

Hawaii Day 1

2010-10-02T21:11:00.000-07:00

Well we made it! The plane trip was a little bumpy but not horrible. When we got off the plane, Uncle Doug picked us up and we went over to the Maui Swap Meet to meet up with Aunt Nancy and see her booth. It was really hot and business was slow, so Matt and I walked around the swap meet for about 45 minutes and then we helped Nancy pack up the booth and we all went to lunch. We went over and had lunch at the golf course and then came back to their house to see the new ohana where we are staying and watch the Duck game. The ohana is beautiful. Doug and Nancy really out did themselves with it. It is such a nice little house Matt and I would be fine living here.

We are hitting the sack early (well 12am our time, 9pm Maui time) and going to get ready for another great day.

Aloha!

2010-10-01T21:03:00.000-07:00

Well Matt and I are finally taking a long overdue summer vacation. We are heading to Hawaii to visit Doug and Nancy and also to celebrate Matt's birthday. We are so excited to be taking this trip and also to get to spend some time together away from work.

Check back throughout the week for updates and pictures from our trip.

Aloha!

Warrior Dash!

2010-09-18T14:11:00.000-07:00

As many of you may have seen on Facebook, Matt and his buddies from work all went up to just outside of Portland to participate in the annual Warrior Dash. It was a day of crazy costumes, beer, fire jumping, swimming, running, and mud. It was lots of fun to see all the craziness. My girl Rachael and I made shirts the night before but unfortunately I mis-spelled her shirt, so next year when we do the Dash we'll have to re-make them.

Washing Machine Repair and Rafting

2010-08-12T14:45:00.000-07:00

Well what an exciting weekend we had! First we went rafting with Matt's mom, Mark, Matt's step-sister Kayla, Aunt Sandy, Sandy'sboyfriend Leo, Mollie, Jose, and their three kiddos. Matt and I have not been rafting for about 10 years so this was a lot of fun to get to go again. Mark did a great job as our guide. It was a beautiful and hot day to be on the river, so getting wet by the freezing cold McKenzie was quite refreshing from time to time. I was in the front of the raft for most of the trip so when we hit the big rapids, I got the brunt of most of them. So much fun I can't wait to do it again!

We also (finally) got a new washing machine. Last Thursday I waited all day for the Sears repair man to come and then all he had to tell us was that the piece that was causing all of the problems (the fabric softener dispenser which we don't even use but would malfunction and think that water was not getting through so it kept putting more in) would cost more than it would be to just get a new washer. So we took our coupon and went and got a nice basic washing machine. I found my dream washer and dryer while we were there; top load with a glass top so you can see the clothes and the dryer was the same way. So maybe in another couple years we'll be able to get those and we'll be all kinds of fancy.

This week: I'm setting up my classroom and taking my motorcycle class. I have applied for the 1/2 position at my school so I'm waiting to hear about that.

Matt got an award for all of his hard work! Very proud of what he is doing at work and he will be done with his MBA (mostly, just have the final paper) tomorrow! So this is a very exciting week for both of us!

Oregon Coast From the Back of the Motorcycle

2010-08-08T23:15:00.000-07:00

What a beautiful weekend to go over to the coast, have a great time with family and then come back. We had a wonderful relaxing weekend with Matt's dad and step-mom. Don brews some delicious beer and I taught Lynn the Gamet family card game of Hand and Foot. We also played a yard game with the kiddos but I can't remember the name of it. After the first game I finally was able to score a couple of points and that help us win the game. We always seem to bring the sunny weather over to the coast with us. A walk on the beach is always one of my favorite activities. Maybe when Matt and I get older we can just move over to the coast.

Summer Camp & The Coast

2010-08-07T07:01:00.000-07:00

Well yesterday I finished my first year at the Sports-o-Rama UofO camp. It was challenging and lots of fun. I met a lot of really fun people (realized I was the oldest person there besides one leader who has been doing these camps for years) and met lots of kiddos that entertained me on a daily basis. I'm looking forward to next summer and seeing all these great people again.

Matt and I are off to Yachats for the weekend. It's already looking like a great day for a bike ride. This will be our first long trip with the new seats, I'm excited about not having a hurt butt.
Pics soon to come from the back of the bike!

Dinner at the Rhodes

2010-07-25T22:42:00.000-07:00

We had such a good time today! We finally got to hang out with our good friends Ben and Jeanine at their new house! Matt was so excited to mow their lawn in the tractor, he even invited me to come and join him on it (pictures to come of that escapade). What a fun time to just relax outside in good weather, with good friends, good food, and good drinks. I even learned to open a beer bottle with a lighter (a very important trick I guess if you live in Oregon). It took me a couple tries the first time and by the time I did, that beer never tasted so good because I worked so hard to open it! As I said before, good time with good friends.

Cottage Grove Fair

2010-07-18T00:20:00.000-07:00

What another great day we had. Matt and I took the bike down to Cottage Grove to see our friends Aaron and Rachael, and our Godson Liam.

First of all, my new seat on the motorcycle is awesome. I have so much more room and once it gets broken in a little more it will be even better. When we got to the Grove we took a great walk over to the downtown area where they were having their Bohemian Mining Days. There were some booths with mostly jewelry, face painting, and tie dye t-shirts. But once we walked a little further we saw the carnival part! There were rides and games and food. It was a lot of fun to be a part of Liam's first carnival experience. Matt, Rachael, and I tried to win Liam a gold fish, but we all lost. So Rachael and I did the pick a duck game (winner every time!). I won a small little fish for Liam and Rachael got him a shark. It was a pretty fun day, and it was even better that the weather was so nice and not too hot.

Tomorrow will be a day of relaxing and watching some Feasting on Asphalt.

Ems Game and World Record!

2010-07-16T23:27:00.000-07:00

Tonight we went to the new PK Park right by Autzen Stadium and watched the Eugene Emeralds get beat by the Twin City somethings. It was all good though. Matt scored some awesome tickets from the bar where he and he friends have lunch about once a week. The manager asked if they would like some tickets to their box suite with all the beer we could drink (till the 7th inning) and he said "Yeah!"
So we had a blast.

Not only did we get to sit in a box suite for free with free beer, we also got to be part of a world record for doing the moonwalk for 5 minutes! Of course we got to do the dance to Billie Jean, the best MJ song there is. Lots of fun had by all!

I even got my picture taken with Sluggo, the lovable mascot!

Summer Update!

2010-07-12T14:49:00.000-07:00

Hello All! It's been a pretty fun summer so far! Last week of June, I went up to Seattle to help prepare for my brother's wedding. Matt came up on Thursday just in time for all of the fun to begin. We rode the Ducks on Friday, and after that we had a great lunch with some family friends that we hadn't seen since our wedding. It was great to get to spend some time with everyone since at our wedding we didn't get to spend a lot of time with everyone that came out.

Joe's wedding was very nice, luckily the sun came out for the big day and it was beautiful! I'm so excited to have a new sister!

Matt and I took an awesome motorcycle trip up over to Bend. I think it was the longest trip we've taken yet, and after that trip, I can't wait to get our new seat! I'm taking the motorcycle safety class in August. I'm excited to learn how to drive a bike, but I still prefer to be the passenger.

I also started my summer job today! I'm working at the UO Sports-o-Rama camp as the gymnastics specialist. Right now I'm pretty sore since I haven't done any gymnastics since high school, but I'm thinking by the end of the 4 weeks I'll be pretty limber again. It's so much better than sitting behind a desk all summer staring at a computer. So much fun!

Another School Year Over

2010-06-17T20:34:00.000-07:00

I had a GREAT time teaching my very first classroom of kinders. They were all so great and I'm going to miss them! It was very odd saying goodbye to them today and knowing that they weren't coming back tomorrow or ever to my class. :o(
They are all going to do great in 1st grade and I can't wait to see how much bigger they have gotten over the summer.

1 year Anniversary

2010-05-27T09:10:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness! I can't believe it has been a year already. We had a pretty low-key weekend. My gift from Matt was a re-creation of all of his favorite times in our lives so far. So on Saturday May 22 we went to 5:00 mass at Newman and then out to dinner at the DAC (just like we did on our wedding day) and then on Sunday we were going to go to King Estate for brunch, but I was sick from the night before. So we hung out at home and went out and bought the new Super Mario Bros Wii game and played that. Then Matt made salmon and flank steak for dinner, which is what we had at our wedding. It was ssooo good.
Matt had to go to San Fran (or Mt. View if we want to get technical) right after our anniversary, so when he gets back on Friday we are going to watch the movie we went to on our first date, Monster House, and have dinner this time.
Then the first weekend of June we are going to the coast, which is one of our favorite things to do, and we're going to go on some day trips to some lighthouses on our way up to Tillamook. I'm really hoping the weather is nice and not raining.
It has been a wonderful first year and I'm looking forward to the years to come.

Oakridge to Blue River

2010-05-10T22:15:00.000-07:00

Matt and I took another long ride on the motorcycle this weekend. We went over to just before Oakridge and then took a scenic byway (National Forest Road 19). We stopped at the Office Covered Bridge at the beginning of the road, and then we went through the woods along the river (where we even saw some snow!) and then made it to Blue River and the Cougar Reservoir. It was a great day for a ride and such a great day to be by the water. Each time we go out, I get excited for the next ride. Now the next thing on our list is butt pants and pictures at the beautiful location with the bike.

"New" Godson

2010-05-04T23:07:00.000-07:00

Well even though it has been two months since he was born, Matt and I have a Godson! His name is Liam Tiberus and he is such a cutie! We love to babysit him and really help out however we can.

First (Successful) Motorcycle Trip

2010-05-04T23:04:00.000-07:00

Matt and I went to the coast this past weekend. We had a beautiful trip down south on I-5 and then over to Drain, through Elkton and to Reedsport (which there was nothing there so we headed north to Florence). We stopped at a very good little winery, which had a wonderful view of the river. Then as we continued west, we stopped and watched the Elk. They were out playing in the sunshine and while there we looked around at the little information booth and learned some really cool things about Elk. There were also these really cool little black birds with a little red on their heads that had small mud nests in the corners of the posts and the ceiling of the information center. That was very neat to see.

As we continued, we stopped at Mo's to eat (and I haven't been there since I was little) and then came home. It was a wonderful trip and I can't wait to have more!

Kindergarten

2010-04-07T16:59:00.000-07:00

I will be back to teach kindergarten again! I am so excited to be teaching kindergarten again next year. I was hoping to be able to have full time, but it may have to wait another year. I'm just glad that I get to have another year of classroom teaching under my belt. Hooray!

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T22:36:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful first (married) Easter! Our church service was wonderful and then we came home and spent the rest of the day on the couch watching Star Trek while Matt kept stoking the fire in the grill for our smoked pork. This year we gave up all meat, except for fish. It was very interesting and challenging. One fun thing were all the recipes Matt came up with for dinners; we've discovered some new favorites. We are excited to be able to have meat again, but we will probably still have some of our new recipes as well.

This month is much slower than our last couple months have been. On our sunny days, Matt has been out digging in the front yard trying to make it look better. He has found over 100 paving blocks that were covered up by the dirt. Apparently the yard used to be nicely landscaped with tiers, but has become just mounds of ugliness due to lack of upkeep. Our other surprise was the washer over flowing again while we were out. The floor in the kitchen is pretty much ruined and we'll have to replace it (again). I'm hoping for tile but we'll see. Ah the joys of homeownership (I wouldn't give it up for anything though).

Happy Easter to all!!!

Vegas Vacation

2010-03-30T21:12:00.000-07:00

What a fun time we had in Vegas! We spent two night on Fremont Street and then two night on the Strip. It was fairly nice weather and we got to see some more hotels that we hadn't on our first trip. If I hadn't been sick the last day we would have seen more. The only show we saw was the Tournament of Kings at the Excalibur. It was awesome! Wednesday night we went out and saw the lights of the town and also watched the water show at the Bellagio. I can't wait to go back when the weather is just a little warmer, I don't get sick, and we can walk around and see even more!

Weekend in Chicago

2010-03-08T08:12:00.000-08:00

Well I traveled to Chicago this past weekend to visit friends and spend time with family. There was beautiful weather all weekend, I was lucky. It was great to see old friends again and catch up with everyone, many of whom I have not seen in almost a year (since the wedding). I'm looking forward to possibly going back this summer and really showing Matt around.

First Married Valentines Day

2010-02-15T18:32:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful first Valentines Day as a married couple. We went out and got crab legs (spent way too much money, but they were very good), and we stayed in our comfy clothes all day and watched Star Trek. It was a very nice day so we also sat in the hot tub after the sun went down and looked out at all the city lights.

Matt also got me a wonderful Valentine gift; a new coach bag. It is a brand new style that just came out. Now I won't have to carry so many bags to school, I can just put my computer in my new purse and head off to my classes.

Matt is almost done with school, just about 6 more months! He has been working hard on a big project and we are both looking forward to the day he does not have to do homework all day and he doesn't have to spend all night at school.

I have been taking classes at the EEA (Eugene Education Association) for UO credit. Most of them so far have been pretty good, but there are always one or two that are not. I should be done with those by spring break.

It's been a while since I've posted anything, but we haven't been up to much. We had a nice weekend in Bend a few weeks ago, but there was no snow, very sad. Luckily it was very nice weather and we walked around the downtown area.

Our New House All Decorated

2010-01-16T14:12:00.000-08:00

So I finally uploaded pictures of the house and what it looked like with the lights up. Thanks to our friend Carl we were able to put lights over the garage. So almost a month later, here are the pics.

Another Toe Procedure

2010-01-16T14:03:00.000-08:00

Well I had to get my other toe fixed now. This time I had the nail partially taken from both sides instead of just one. So this time it hurts a lot more than it did before. Sorry no pictures this time of the toe (it looked about the same as last time only this time the bandage was a lot bigger and it was purple. Good thing I was wearing purple that day so it matched my outfit). I had to take the bandage off when I got home because I had walked on it so much at school that I bled through the bandage and onto my sandal. That was good times.

But now I'm pain free in my toes and I'm just crossing my fingers that that part of the nail won't grow back.

Happy New Year!

2009-12-31T15:04:00.000-08:00

Time to ring in another new year! We are going to be ringing in the new year with Ben and Jeanine. It is going to be lots of fun! Way better than last year since Matt and I aren't sick this year. So it's off to do some cooking and rest up for a fun night!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T15:33:00.000-08:00

It's been a fun day. I think the best gift (and this wasn't to me) was the new outfits for our doggies. They have Chinese and Japanese outfits to wear around the house. For myself, my awesome big present is a new coffee table. Hooray! Now we have more room to eat on the couch. :o)
Matt made out pretty well; I got him a chop saw, a beer opener ring, and new pumas. I think it was a good Christmas for him.
It is a very nice day up in Seattle and tomorrow we're off to downtown for some wonderful food and possibly some shopping. More pictures to come of the day and of our matching jammies!

Decorating for Christmas

2009-12-05T21:05:00.000-08:00

We starting putting up our Christmas lights on the house today. We didn't realize that our ladder wasn't tall enough to reach the tall peaks of the house, so we borrowed one from Matt's mom. So when it came time to put the lights up in the high peak, Matt couldn't climb up on the roof so I came to the rescue and climbed up and put the lights up. Matt says I'm his hero (he doesn't like heights).

More pictures of the house to come once it's all done. It got too dark to finish tonight.

GOOO DUCKS!

2009-12-03T21:56:00.000-08:00

What a fun night! We had my teaching aid and her family over for the Civil War game (did I mention that they're all beaver fans?) It was a great game, great company, and great food. Wa-hoo, go ducks! Bring home some roses!

Our 2009 Christmas Tree!

2009-12-02T21:09:00.000-08:00

We were finally able to get a tree taller than me this year! We went through about 2 1/2 boxes of ornaments (I ran out of room to keep putting the big ones on). The kitties are a little freaked out by it, but I know by the middle of the night tonight they are going to be playing with the ornaments. I think it is my favorite tree so far out of all of our trees. Soon to come underneath it: presents. :o)

Yachats Weekend

2009-11-29T19:25:00.000-08:00

We went to visit Matt's dad and step-mom this weekend. We went to Newport and had lunch at the Rouge, went to OSU Hatfield Science Center, and the Aquarium. It was a great weekend with some wonderful weather. On our way home we stopped at a toy store and my little sister-in law got to sit with Santa. We all had tons of fun. I just hope we always have good weather like that.

The Octopus at Hatfield. His name is Amigo.

The class art is so fun to look at. It's ending this summer so we had to get our last looks in.

Our First Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T21:16:00.000-08:00

What a wonderful first Thanksgiving we had. Matt's mom, step-dad, and step-sister came over. We had more food than we needed, but we've already had some delicious leftovers. Matt smoked the turkey on the grill (if you haven't done it yet, I highly recommend it), and I helped with the prep work for the stuffing and green bean casserole. I made my Grandma Great's pear-lime salad, it's a tradition with the Alonsos.
We're still finishing the dishes, but while the get washed, we're relaxing on the couch and letting the delicious food digest.

Barton's First Thanksgiving Prep

2009-11-25T19:07:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is the big day and we or I guess I should say Matt, is cooking up a big storm. We are getting the initial things going; brining the turkey, getting the cornbread stale, and making Grandma Great Pear salad (I did that one). It's going to be lots of fun and lots of good food!

New Job!

2009-11-24T19:50:00.000-08:00

After lots of waiting, we have finally found out that Matt has gotten a new job with Symantec! He will now be a Sr. Project Manager for HR and helping them with reporting. We are so excited! Thank you to everyone for you love and support.

Toe "Surgery"

2009-11-20T17:56:00.000-08:00

Jacque: I had part of my toe nail taken off yesterday. It wasn't too bad. The worst part was the shots; I had to get 4 in my big toe and actually bled a fair amount just from those. I took the bandage off today and it doesn't look too bad. A little bloody from where the nail was taken and a little red where my doctor put some acid so that part of the nail wouldn't grow back. But now after all of that I'm walking around pain free!

Wine Tasting

2009-11-15T10:32:00.000-08:00

Today we are going out to wine country for a big date day! We haven't had a date day since the summer so this is going to be fun!