Girlie Time!

While we were staying with the Tapio family, we went on a couples date to a fun restaurant, 'A Touch of Athens,' which served Greek food and had live Italian music and even a belly dancer!  (Personally, I did not appreciate the dancer for OBVIOUS reasons.)  :)

Todd and I also had the opportunity to go on a date by ourselves!  The Tapio's watched the kids for us, and we had an evening all to ourselves.  :)  That is one thing we definitely miss having on a regular basis.  Tanner is old enough to baby-sit, however, it is the idea of him baby-sitting in an unfamiliar location that makes us uneasy.  :)  So, we just don't go out.  :)  To live as a 'full-timer' there are sacrifices.  This is one of the big ones for Todd and me.  Don't get me wrong, I love my kids to pieces, however, I also love my sweet husband.  Time alone with him = communication = happy marriage  :)

I also had the opportunity to take the girls on a much needed 'girlie date!'  When we lived in a 'sticks-n-bricks' home, we would take the kids on 'dates' once a month.  It was always something simple, but just time for each child to be alone with either Todd or me, to talk and share about what is going on in their lives.  It is also a sweet time to encourage that particular child, with scripture, in a much needed direction of correcting character issues.  For example, when Zach was younger, he was really lazy.  It was his natural bent, being the second born, to let his older brother do everything for him.  
I encouraged him with Proverbs 6:6, "Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise!"

 The next time he went outside to play, I pointed out the ants moving on the ground, and how quickly  they were moving.  I asked him if they looked like they were laying around or playing?  He saw that they were busy.  I shared with him, that even though he is a child, and will have many opportunities to play, he is also a member of our family, and he needs to work and contribute to the family's needs.  Something as simple as picking up his toys, or sweeping the porch, is a BIG help.  It only took a few weeks of consistant  training and encouragement for him to find the JOY in working!  He is now a dependable young man, who loves to earn money and knows how to do a job correctly and efficiently.  Praise the Lord!

Well, since we are on the road, life's structure and routine has changed.  Sometimes, it is difficult to take the time for each child as we used too, so Todd and I decided to spend the time with the girls together.

I decided to take the girls to Claire's for some new jewelry, and they wanted to eat at McDonald's of all places!  HA!  :)  But, I also had something else up my sleeve.  :)

Hannah and Emily getting their FIRST pedicure!!!  Too fun!  We went to a little nail salon in Vancouver that only charged $7.00!!!  This is not something I do on a regular basis, (I have only had 3 pedicures in my life), but I thought the girls would enjoy and appreciate something a little more 'grown up.' :) 
Emily had a smile on her face the whole time. 
Hannah kept saying, "That is beau-ti-ful.  That is SO beau-ti-ful!"

Hannah picked her favorite color; blue, and Emily picked her favorite; purple.  :)  Too fun!


Blessings,
Steph

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

Silver Cove RV Resort Campground Review

Our stay here, was absolutely pleasant!  The kids went fishing, on the days when we were not sight-seeing at Mt. St. Helens.  They also had the bright idea to make, or should I say, for Todd to make homemade bow-and-arrows.  :) 

Hannah was SO stoked, if you can't tell!  :)  It is hard to tell, she has pink yarn wrapped around it, so it's "GIRLIE."  Uh......huh......  :)

Even Parker said he wanted one, but the kids' bows were just too big.  Smart, little Parker told Todd, very matter-of-factly, "Well.  Make me a little one, Daddy."  :)  LOVE it!

We intended on staying at a different location, but it was completely booked.  However, this place was just right.  It is actually a little closer to the national site, and has all the ammenities; laundry, full hook-ups, clean showers/bathrooms with security locks, a lake and plenty of room to roam and feel some privacy.

Price- $30/night with our Good Sams membership

I would definitely recommend this park.  It would have been even better, had it had a playground, however, the bows-and-arrows were MUCH more fun!  :)

Blessings,
Steph

MT. ST. Helens

The ever winding road that leads to the top ridge of Mt. St. Helens was not only dizzying, but beautiful.

Here, inside of the museum, is one of the great trees that was snapped like a twig by the 1980 eruption.  It was so interesting to learn about the people who survived this volcanic eruption, and how scientists are still using data today, that was gained years and years ago.  This volcano is constantly churning and moving, daily.......

Parker had a blast making his own recorded tremmors on this seismograph!  While the others were working on their Jr. Ranger badges, Parker and I jumped around.  :)  O.K., we let other visitors have their turns too, but he took every opportunity when the coast was clear.  HA!

Just a wonderful opportunity to visit a place I only read about for many years.  It almost did not seem real!  I honestly can't believe that my family is experiencing history, instead of only reading about it.  Hopefully, the magnitude of these travels will penetrate and carry on to their children.  (this mama's prayer, anyway)  :)


Blessings,
Steph

Copalis Beach RV Resort

We were driving through Washington on HWY 101 and needed a place to stay for a night.  We decided to stay here so we could officially visit the Pacific Ocean!  I am so glad we did.  :)  Hannah found her first sand dollar, and we all enjoyed searching for sea creatures.

I did not use the shower/restrooms or other ammenities, so I can not give an assessment of this, however, the campground was really nice, clean and organized.

It is only 150 yards to the beach, so it is a great location!  They also had a playground for the kids.

It was only $17 a night with our Passport America membership!  ;)

Blessings,
Steph

We made it to the Pacific Ocean!!

Yes, it is August, and we are wearing coats!  Don't even think about swimming!  BURRRRRR...

 Just a lovely sunset while we were exploring Copalis Beach in Washington one evening.  :)

We had a quick stay here one night, and decided to watch the sunset, and see what we could find.  We were all searching for sand dollars that were still in tact.  Hannah was the only one who found one!  Yeah Hannah!

Blessings,
Steph

Hoh Ox Bow Campground Review

While we were visiting Forks, WA., and the Olympic National Park and Rainforest, we stayed at this FREE campground INSIDE of the rainforest!  FREE!

Now, there are no hook-ups, but if you can dry camp for a couple of days, this is the place to stay!  You are literally camping in the Rainforest next to a gorgeous creek flowing through. 

It is a small camp, and you can not make reservations, but we had no problem getting a space.  :)

Once you pass the entrance to Olympic National Park, just a couple of miles south on Hwy 101, you will go over a winding bridge, and the entrance is on the left.  Look carefully, or you will miss it!  (There is another Recreation Area just before this one.)

The campground has a lot of low hanging trees, and is a tight squeeze, but we were able to get into a nice sized space with our 37 footer.

Blessings,
Steph

Friendly Forks, WA.

Well, little did we know, that this is the location focus for the ever SO popular book series, Twilight.  Now, before you think that my family is living under a rock, :), we HAVE heard of the books and movies, of course, but, have not had any interest in reading them, or watching them.  GASP!! 

Personally, I am not an advocate of teens, who are vampires and warewolves, mind you, battling it out as a type of gang, and having a sexual relationship. 

I know it is just fiction.  However, I want to be careful and I want to encourage my young and impressionable children to be careful.
"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy- think about such things."  Philippians 4:8


SO, when we arrived in Forks, we noticed all kinds of Twilight marketing on the stores and signs around the small town.  But, we came to Forks for something much more exciting!

Olympic National Park and the Hoh Rainforest!  (The only rainforest in the United States!)

This place is too cool!  The trees were over 200 ft. tall!  There was a nice trail to walk through, so we had a good time playing around.  :)

This is a blurry picture of a HUGE slug.  It was about an inch wide and about 4 inches long!  YUCK!

We also earned another Jr. Ranger badge!  Go Golden Gang!

This is a picture of the creek next to our campsite inside of the Hoh Rainforest.  Ice blue, freezing water like I have never seen before!  :)

Our time spent in Forks, was short and sweet, but I wanted to also add, that we met some VERY friendly and thoughtful people in the town.  If you remember, we are in need of a new tow-dolly, or towing system?  We have been searching for one that will fit the Sienna since early July when we bought it.  As we drive state to state, we are on the 'look out' for new or used dollies.  Well, we noticed one in Forks.  LONG story short, it did not fit or work correctly on the van.  :(  But, the man who helped us, and  another man we met outside of the local laundry mat, were really sweet.  In fact, one of them called a few days later to check on us!  I am just constantly amazed at the kindness of strangers.  I am so thankful to the Lord for putting such genuine and wonderful people in our path as we travel.


Blessings,
Steph

Salt Creek Recreation Area, Campground Review

Me oh my!
This place is BEAUTIFUL!

For 3 days we stayed here, and absolutely loved it.
The campground is spread out in 2 main loops, one with a gorgeous beach view, and the other in the forest.  We were in the open area with a beach view with a clear shot of CANADA! 
YES!  We could see the mountains in Canada from our campsite!  :)

Price- $25/n for water and electric.  There is a dump station and fresh water refill if you need it.

 Ammenities- No laundry or pool, but a wonderful field and playground.  There are also several WWII bunkers, the many trails, hiking, and the rocky beach.  One trail took us to the sandy beach which is nice, as long as it is low tide!  :)

Make sure you come prepared, the nearest Walmart or large grocery store is at least 30 miles away. 

We loved this campground!  I would definitely recommend it!

Blessings,
Steph

Port Angeles, WA.

It has been three BEAUTIFUL days here!  Literally, the temperatures are a high of 65, and lows at night in the 50's!!  IN AUGUST!!!  We have been wearing long sleeves and jackets and burning campfires ever since we arrived.  :)  Did I mention, it is AUGUST?

We went exploring on the beach, and were able to find all kinds of sea anemones, hermit crabs, clams and muscles. 
We also went on several hikes and trails at our campground, and found old WWII bunkers!

In true Golden Gang fashion, we also went out into the rocks at low tide, jumping like frogs from rock to rock.  :)  It was fun until you landed in the FREEZING PACIFIC waters!

Of course, Todd kept Parker on his shoulders most of the time, and Parker held on for dear life!  Even at the age of 40, he has the best balance of anyone I know!  HA!

We have enjoyed our time here, with all the natural beauty from the ocean, eating berries from the wild bushes, and watching all the deer freely strolling through the park with their babies.  :)

Blessings,
Steph