Oregon Adventure

2014 marks the 7th National Parks trip we have made with our neighbors.  This trip was #nobleswilliamstrip and was tweeted and instagrammed as we traveled.  The history goes like this:
2002 - Grand Canyon, Zion & Bryce
2004 - Pacific Northwest: Olympic National Park, Mt. Rainier & Seattle
2006 - Glacier, Yellowstone & Grand Tetons.  This was Aaron's "senior trip".  This became the new norm.  The graduating senior chooses the location and we plan accordingly.
2008 - New England:  Acadia, Vermont, New Hampshire & Boston.  Alyssa
2010 - California: Redwoods, Lassen, Yosemite & San Francisco. Emily
2012 - Colorado: Great Sand Dunes, Mesa Verde, Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado Springs, Boulder & Denver. Carrie
2014 - Oregon: Newberry Volcanic National Monument, John Day Fossil Beds, Crater Lake, Oregon Caves, Oregon Dunes on the coast, Bend & Portland. Brandon

Oregon has only one National Park - Crater Lake. It has a short season, thus our trip started on July 7.  Our goals on these trips is to enjoy Creation, learn about our beautiful country and see new places. Since 2008 there have only been 9 in our traveling party.  Aaron didn't go in 08 and 10, Emily didn't go in 12 and 14. It can be challenging to journey with nine or ten people, but we manage to have fun and not kill anyone.  Galatians 5:22-23 was presented to the Nobles clan before the trip began, but we still struggled in our demonstration of the fruit of the spirit.

Landed in Portland

Evening swim

12 passenger van is our magic school bus

 The Williams pastor at Westminster Presbyterian moved to Rome last year from Portland.  The Lund's were visiting their new granddaughter and we visited them before we set off on the Oregon trail!

Getting directions and trip tips from the Lund's.

Lunch at Cobra Dogs in Government Camp near Mt. Hood

Side trip to the base of Mount Hood and Timberline Lodge

Snow in July - Mt. Hood

Sandal of choice is Chaco, even in the snow!

Cooking dinner in Bend Oregon, VRBO Milky Way

Stephen and Beth

Lava Butte south of Bend.

Lava fields

Picnic lunch at Newberry Volcanic National Monument

Upper Falls at Newberry

Paulina Lake was cool and clear

Stay and Eat - Oregon

Sunset over the Deschutes River in Bend

Our 12 days in the state or Oregon started and ended at PDX.  We flew non stop from ATL on Alaska Air, and though airfare was high, we were impressed with the airline.  Once on the ground in Portland we took a shuttle to Fairfield Inn near the airport.  The room was small, but they did allow a roll away bed to make Alyssa's first night more comfy than sleeping on the floor. Michael Smith, a Berry grad who lives in Portland came to the hotel the next morning to take Randy and Stephen to get our rental van.  More on Michael later!

We don't camp, so traveling with 9 people is expensive.  Whenever possible we rent through VRBO and enjoy the spaciousness of a house.  On this trip we had two houses, one in Bend and the other in Bandon on the coast. Homes give us space, the opportunity to cook and do laundry.  That may not seem like fun on a vacation, but we enjoy the experience of a vacation rental.

House in Bend

TV and WiFi is always a plus!

Aaron and Brandon enjoy the hot tub

The house in Bend was new and furnished by IKEA!  There were 4 bikes that we could ride around town, plus our house was not far from downtown.

The sunsets in Drake Park were the best.

Always great to enjoy a local coffee shop!

We love to stay in the National Park Lodges but it isn't always feasible.  This trip we spent three nights in lodges.  Crater Lake is in a remote area of southern Oregon and beautiful.  The lodge has lovely views of the Lake, superb food and lots of history.  Warning - staying and eating in a National Park is NOT cheap!  I save, save, save to enjoy a few meals in a NP lodge.

Crater Lake Lodge was built in 1915

Our group of nine enjoyed a variety of foods at Crater Lake Lodge: lamb chops, bison, steak, chicken, clam chowder, duck and some tasty desserts! We also ate breakfast at the lodge and loved the Marionberry syrup and jam.

Bison Meatloaf - yummy

The lobby provides a place for Skip Bo and chatting with other travelers.

Dinner at the lodge!

Crater Lake is all about the view and I have plenty of pictures that I will post later, but here is one to give you a glimpse.

A volcano from 7700 years ago created this beautiful scene.

Our next stop was Oregon Caves, which is a National Monument that was established in 1909.  The lodge was built in 1934.  This was such a pleasant surprise as we didn't know what to expect. There was no TV, no WiFi, no cell service and we loved it!  It was a the end of a 20 mile road and we arrived during the final game of the World Cup when they were in penalty kicks.  If you know our family, soccer is a big deal!  We still loved this location and lodge.  We took the 90 minute cave tour which was awesome and I would highly recommend it.

The Chateau at Oregon Caves

Brandon and Beth at the main entrance of the lodge

Carrie at the piano

Our comfortable bed

Time for games in the girls room.
We had a family suite, which was two rooms sharing a bath.

Fancy salad that was delicious

Old phone between our rooms

Old fashioned diner. The kids all had thick milkshakes with their breakfast!

Relaxing in the lobby

House in Bandon, Oregon. 

Binoculars and a telescope gave us a super close view of the beach.

Kitchen was adequate for all our needs.
We grilled out twice at this house.

Our house was across the street from the beach!
We explored tidal pools, caves and sea stacks.

We love ice cream!
 Face Rock Creamery provided huge portions for an amazing price.

No trip to Portland is complete without experiencing doughnuts, food trucks and Powell's bookstore. 

Open 24/7 and there was a line to get in. 

Many options at 50th and Division Food Trucks.
I had Mexican, Alyssa had Vietnamese, others had Fish and Chips.

Our last night was at the Staybridge Suites near the airport.  The accommodations were nice, the continental breakfast was satisfactory.  We flew home with no glitches while the Williams waited to take Amtrak and will arrive home 5 days later!

Lost - A Lesson

Last Wednesday Carrie, Kate and I were meeting Alyssa at Georgia Tech to switch cars. Alyssa is at Teach for America Institute this summer, and had just arrived the previous day to begin her 6 weeks of work.  Carrie was going to spend the week the with the Pascual family in Stone Mountain. (That is a post I'm sure Carrie will write in the future).  I had directions to meet Alyssa and make the switch.  I'm not very good with the maps on iPhone, even though Alyssa had sent  the address in a text message.  I looked up the address on google maps and wrote out directions.  Carrie was helping me navigate.  All was going well as we got off at the Howell Mill exit and began looking for the next turn.  I knew the mileage to find the street, but it didn't match up.  I couldn't find the street.  Carrie called Alyssa and thus began our adventure in being lost.  

I'm fairly familiar with Georgia Tech as Kate has been to the campus for swim meets.  The address I had didn't seem to be leading me toward what I knew to be the Tech campus, but it was the address Alyssa had sent me.  

Alyssa was asking questions about where we were, Carrie was responding. Alyssa told us to go to 10th Street and turn...but we didn't know which way.
We made the wrong choice. Did I mention we are directionally challenged?? Alyssa kept telling us to look for certain roads, make certain turns. The voices escalated as we continued to circle the same streets with the same results - lost!  Carrie went back to the address in the text and clicked on it - Alyssa's suggestion- it continued to take us to the wrong location.

This went on for about 15 minutes. Eventually we found her, standing on the corner of Hemphill and 10th Street - definitely in the midst of the Tech campus.  We exchanged vehicles and few items Alyssa had requested.  She was on a lunch break and short on time. Everyone was short on patience.

We made it to I-75 and to the Taproom without any issues.  The Taproom is the new coffee shop that Jonathan Pascual has recently opened on Hosea Williams Drive in the Kirkwood Community of Atlanta.  This is where we were meeting Sarah and the kids so that "Camp Carrie" could commence.  

I texted Alyssa that we made it without getting lost.  She asked how far it was from Tech, as she wanted to visit soon.  I went back to my maps to get the route from the address she had given me (yes, the one that got us lost). When I looked at the map, I realized the address she gave me was definitely NOT where we finally met her.  I sent her a text saying there was something wrong with the address I had for her.  A few minutes later she tells me that she had sent the WRONG address.  I had 855 and the correct one was 555. If you know anything about Atlanta, the streets do not always run in a straight line. 

What did I learn from this adventure?  To get where you are going you need the correct information. 

• God wants us to have the right information. When we try and follow what we think is right, even when someone we trust gave us the information, we can be wrong.  God's Word always has the right information, but we often interpret it incorrectly.

• He desires for us to ask Him. Often we need to call someone to get back on track.  I'm glad I can call on God and he always answers.  Sometimes we have to continue to call to get the right answer, it's not always immediate.

• Sometimes despite the right information, we make the wrong choice.  This happens daily in my walk with the Lord.  I'm am thankful for his grace and mercy when I make the wrong turn.

• Patience and love is key in any situation.  

Being unable to find Alyssa was frustrating, but with patience, love and a cell phone we finally connected!

Drum Major tryouts - year 2

Kate tried out for drum major at Rome High as a rising freshman.  She didn't make it. During marching season she played her trombone and really loved it.  She's a hard worker and wants to succeed, so it was no surprise that she continued to talk about trying again for the coveted conductor position.

Time for try outs this spring and there is a new band director coming to RHS, as Mr. Self retires. This would be interesting!  Kate got her music, studied the score, and went to practices.  Just like last year I had a Berry music student tutor her in the finer points of conducting!  Her tutor is David Warren, the head conductor of the Phantom Regiment drum corp.  He is so sweet to guide and encourage her.  Of course I bribe him with home baked goodies and dinner!

Tryouts this year brought different results, she made it!  She is excited.  I am proud. She knows it is a lot of responsibility.  She will have to manage her time to succeed in the classroom, on the field and in the pool. Morning swim practice will happen frequently. The days will be long.  She will be a busy girl.

Reunion!

The Berry class of 2004 has some amazing graduates, and we were fortunate to love on them during their days in Rome.  Abby Kirkland Fernandez emailed me that she running the Berry 10K and Dana Roberts Van Sant called to say they would be visiting the same weekend -  time for a reunion! Instead of them coming to the house, we decided to have a dinner at the Seven Hills Building on Broad Street.  We attend Seven Hills Fellowship and we are fortunate to have a great space for events, dinners and gatherings.

I fixed pasta of several varieties and served it with salad, bread and dessert. Everyone enjoyed eating together, visiting and watching the kids play.  In addition to the Fernandez and Van Sants, we invited the Burns (Hailey Stovall), Tracy Morgan Batchelor (Robbie was sick), Abby's friend Cythnia Detweiller and her family (Cynthia was running the 10K), and Rachel Stewart, a 2011 grad.

All these former college kids attended and served with the youth at Calvary, therefore we included some "old" youth! Kendyl and Josh Clark, Josh and Mallory Trammell,  plus all four of my kids.  It was such a sweet evening and I hope we can do it again!

Kids table

Bert with mom (Tracy)

Josie and Dana. Michael in the background!

Hailey

Hailey & Joe attended high school and college together

Good conversations

Kate, Rachel  and Josie in the nursery

Josh, Sadie and Lizzie - new friends!

Jackson having fun

The crew!

Abby and Carrie.  Abby used to call her "mini me".  Love them!

RHS swim records

Kate finished her freshman swim season with Rome High in February.  A few weeks later they revised the board to reflect 11 new records from 2013-14. Can you find Kate's name?  She is the first Rome High swimmer to ever qualify for the state meet in the 100 backstroke, and was on three relays that broke records from 2001 and 2004. 

Notice that there is a blank space on the 200 IM.  That means no female swimmer from Rome High has qualified for state in that event.  Kate was close this year in that event and hopefully will qualify next year.  There are several other records she hopes to break before her high school career ends.  We will keep you posted!

Newly certified lifeguard = summer job!

Some days

Some days are tough. Today was one of those days.  But God knew before today that I would need Him, that He would provide the time and the words to say.  Today was a day I needed to be calm in the midst of the storm.  I could not have done that if God had not provided His peace.

Last Friday Carrie had outpatient surgery.  She had a Fibro adenoma removed from her breast.  She had discovered this cyst during her first semester of college.  After several doctor visits, it was determined to have it removed.  Carrie did great on Friday. The lab report came back, and the cyst was benign - just as expected.  She went back to the dorm on Sunday evening and in class on Monday.  She was tired and sore, but okay.

She called me crying this morning.  She was not feeling well and possibly running a fever.  She had an appointment to apply for her passport and didn't feel well enough to drive.  God had this...it was Tuesday, and I have a big block of free time (read: time to work on stuff that never gets done because I'm teaching).  I was able to immediately leave my office and pick her up.

All this is going on physically, and looming is the big emotional discovery of the day.  Carrie applied to be an RA next year.  She has been talking about it since fall semester.  She was pumped to serve in this capacity.  Today was the day they would get the letter about RA selection.  Her roommate also applied.  The letter came - she was not selected.  She was devastated, distraught and disappointed. Her roommate was chosen.  Remember, they are Winshape students.  There are a limited number of slots for RA on mountain.

I had been praying about this since she applied.  I knew there was potential for being disappointed.  I sent her a text this morning "God made you special and He loves you very much - and so do I."  I prayed for her to have grace to handle whatever happened, to have peace.  

Again, God had this.  I was in a lesson with a voice student that I accompany and was able to leave and answer her call.  She came to my office - a perk of going to school where your mom works - and I was able to hug her, let her cry and talk her through this difficult time.  

We talked about how much this hurt.  We talked about how to be really honest about what she was feeling.  We talked about how she couldn't be angry at anyone, the decision was made.  We talked about what she could learn through this experience. I prayed with her, asking God to pour out His love and grace on her during this time.  I eventually had to get back to teaching, but she stayed in my office. 

She played the piano and picked up the hymnal.  Both ministered to her.

"Lord, You light my lamp; my God illuminates my darkness.
With You I can attack a barrier, and with my God I can leap over a wall.
God - His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is pure. He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him."
Psalm 18:28-30

Pray for her, she is hurting. Pray that God will open doors and she will feel loved by Him.