River Rafting Rush!!!

While we were staying in the Vancouver area with the Tapio family, Peter, Todd and Tanner went on a really fun river raft ride of a lifetime!!

 YES!  That is Tanner on the front, riding the raft like a bull!  He proudly kept his hand up through the whole ride, and never fell off!  :)

 Todd and Peter are the two guys in the middle with orange helmets.  :)

 Where is Tanner?

 Where is Tanner?!?

 There are his feet!!

 There he is!!!  Whoo Hoo!!!

Notice Todd's smile of approval?  :)  "That's my boy!"



They had such a great time.  One they will NEVER forget!

Blessings,
Steph

Terrific Time with the Tapio's!!

When we were in Rapid City, South Dakota, visiting the Wapiki Waterpark, we met the Tapio family.  It was an immediate friendship and fellowship with this sweet family.  They invited us out to their home in Washington, if time allowed, so we decided to go ahead and meet up with them. 

What a blessing!  They live out in the country, on rolling hills and pastures.  They also have full hook-ups on their acreage too!

We actually stayed with them for a week, and it was filled with fun from start to finish.  :)
From Cannon Beach to jumping in the river to four-wheeling, to blueberry picking, time was filled with fun and great memories.

We also went to the local's favorite, Burgerville!  YUM!!!

Sarah's parents own a dairy farm, which is more of a cattle ranch now, and the kids loved climbing on the huge stacks of hay and farm equipment.  :)

While we were there, Peter competed in a race, Hood to Coast, which lasts for 3 days!  We went to Mt. Hood to cheer him on and the other runners along the road.  There is a beautiful lodge at the top, and we actually had a chance to play in the snow and have snow ball fights!  IN AUGUST!!

Lastly, Todd, Peter and Tanner went on a once in a lifetime river-rafting ride!!!  They had such a wonderful time.  :)
Thank you Tapio family for your hospitality, transparency, and sweet fellowship!
We miss you already!

Blessings,
Steph

Cape Meares Lighthouse

This is our first time to visit a lighthouse!  So beautiful.  It has a strength all on its own somehow.  :)

This lighthouse is not active any more, and unfortuantely, a few years ago, a couple of jerks broke the glass in the light room, causing over $100,000 worth of damage!  Thankfully, they were found and have to pay for the damage themselves.  :)

Inside, there is a small gift shop and a short video sharing the history of the lighthouse, and the story behind the vandalism.  The views were so incredible and peaceful.

 On the way to the lighthouse, there is a decent walk down hill......

But then, to get back to the parking lot, you have to take it UP HILL!  Talk about a calf work-out!  I could feel it burning the whole time!
For those of you wondering if an RV lifestyle is too sedentary?  NO!  We walk, hike and climb more now, than we ever did living in a sticks-n-bricks house!  HA!


Blessings,
Steph

Tillamook Bay City Campground Review

When we were in Tillamook, we decided to stay here for a few days.  It is only less than 5 miles from downtown Tillamook, and very close to the Air Museum and Cheese Factory. 

Although, this is not a very 'kid-friendly' park, (no pool, playground, or room to run), the staff was friendly and helpful.  :)  It is a great stop for a few days, but honestly not any longer, for us any way.  :)

Price: $27/night for full hook-ups

The ammenities were clean, however, both the shower/restrooms and laundry room need to be bigger in my opinion.

If we were in the area again, I would stay here again.  :)

Blessings,
Steph

Tillamook Cheese Factory!

Want to go somewhere that is FREE, FUN and educational?  This place was awesome.  :)

The people that put this factory tour together, absolutely knew what they were doing.

Not only did they have the place decked out in cows and bright colors......

And not only did they have the entire operation 'open' for observation, so you can watch how the cheese is made and processed and packaged......

And not only do they have FREE samples......

But they also have a yummy icecream station right in the middle of the factory!  Fresh icecream, for very reasonable prices.  :)

Now, it doesn't end there!  Really, it was just beginning. 

Tanner decided he wanted these AWFUL Jelly Bellies instead of icecream!  Can you imagine?!!
They have crazy flavors like, rotten egg, vomit, skunk spray, and even booger!!!  UG!!!

We laughed and laughed SO hard for SO long just watching him eat them, one after the other!

Oh, if you could have smelled his breath!  Just incredible.

My stomach is still churning just thinking about those nasty flavored jelly beans!

Too funny.......

Blessings,

Steph

Tillamook Air Museum

In Tillamook, OR., we went to the VERY affordable Air Museum.  For the kids and I, it was around $25.  :)  The first thing we did inside, was watch a short film describing the history of the hanger and how the Air Museum even started.

The boys and the girls really liked the planes, up-close this way.  Zach, especially was cracking me up, because he couldn't seem to keep his mouth closed!  He was SOOO excited to check out the planes, especially the ones with guns on them.  (he wants to design war planes when he grows up)  :)

I was SO excited after our visit through the museum, because inside their gift shop, I found GREAT winter coats for some of the kids!  Todd, Tanner and I found some when we were in Yellowstone, but I've been on a 'hunt' for the rest of the family.  Now, all we need for future snow-ball fights are some comfy gloves!  :)


Later, for dinner, we decided to grill up shish kabobs.  YUM!  This was our first time, so I figured the kids could 'design' their own.  :)  We had beef, shrimp, peppers, pinapple, hot dogs, little smokies sausages, and peaches.  Did I say YUM?!

We also bought some fresh blue berries, raspberries and black berries for some 'make your own' berry-cakes for dessert.  Again.  YUM!

Dinner was a hit that night!  Yeah Mommy!  :)
(I think we are going to start a new weekly tradition.)

We are enjoying our time in Tillamook, Oregon!
Blessings,
Steph