Celebrations

The new background is in honor of all of the celebrations my family is so lucky to have!
My brother's 3rd birthday
My sister's 17th birthday
My mom's successful surgery
My dad's completion of K9 training
Joseph's new job position as head track coach for Clinton high school and a new teaching position at the high school
My coming home!!!

The Lord has truly blessed us!

Accomplishments of Summer 2010

The summer is finally coming to an end!  I was thinking the other day about all of the accomplishments and first-time experiences I have had this summer!

I survived six weeks without my husband.
I survived twelve weeks without seeing my family!
I had my first experience working in a psychiatric facility and I loved it!
I lived in a different state, in a different region of the country for the whole summer!
I actually like fish and chips now!
I ate my first fresh cherry... they aren't that great
I camped out for the longest I have ever camped in one trip...3 nights
I camped on the beach for the first time
I camped three times over the summer, which is a record for me!
I got to experience Seattle, and LOVED it!
I went up into the cheesy space needle, which i may never get to do again!
I went to my first Mariner's game ever and got to see Arod and Ichiro!
I visited Forks, WA, home of Twilight.  It's definitely overrated
I put my feet in the Pacific Ocean TWICE
I went whitewater rafting for the first time ever
I will fly by myself, across the country, for the first time!
I fell in love with homemade banana icecream!
I wateched a friend from Mississippi cross the finish line at an Ironman in Idaho!
I attended the world's largest 3 on 3 basketball tournament
I ate breakfast with deer...regularly
I drove my first minivan
I survived six weeks without airconditioning and cable...except for the Bachelorette!

That's exhausting to think about!

Mississippi

I was reading the Clarion Ledger updates about the Miss Mississippi Pageant.  They asked the contestants what they loved about Mississippi.  This makes me proud to be from Mississippi and the South!  These are some of their replies:

• "Our roots run deeper than those of the magnolia trees for which we are known"   -Miss Alcorn County

• "I, for one, am extremely excited to say that I am a fellow Mississippian to William Faulkner, Eudora Welty, Brett Favre, Faith Hill, Elvis Presley, John Grisham, Morgan Freeman and Payton and Eli Manning and many, many other famous and talented individuals"    -Miss Clinton

• "We have overcome stereotypes and hardships.  Today we are people who value diversity and welcome challenges."  -Miss Hattiesburg

• "Hurricane Katrina was a test of character for our citizens.  We are not wholly dependent on government, and in time of disaster, we learned to lean on each other."  -Miss Leaf River Valley

• "It has the world's longest man-made beach, the most churches, the second oldest cemetery, and not to mention all of the inventions that have been patented here,"   -Miss Rankin County

• "What strikes me the most about Mississippi is its profound diversity.  From white beaches to large cities to peaceful pastures, Mississippi has a place for everyone." -Miss Dixie

• To understand the world, you must first understand a place like Mississippi.         -William Faulkner

NIKE Nationals

       So, I'm going to brag a little about the Clinton Arrows Girls Track Team!  Nike held a season-long competition to find the 12 best track teams in the nation in a select ten events.  This is the first year they have held this for outdoor track.  It is the opening event for the Prefontaine Classic, the largest professional track meet in the United States.  Clinton Arrows Girls Track was selected to go to this event!  All of the schools compete and they combine the scores of all events like they would in a decathlon.  Nike was very generous to each team.  They provided airfare, food, and hotel for all ten teams and two coaches each.  Joseph got to go as one of the two coaches for Clinton!  When the girls all got there, Nike provided them each with new jerseys, warm ups, and tennis shoes.

There were only 300 pairs of these tennis shoes made.  They were made specifically for this event!

Nike also provided the players with a lobby full of Wiis, Ipads, and a full icecream bar.  They allowed each person to make their own t-shirts.  They had tennis shoes set up in various places and asked track teams what drew their attention to specific shoes.  They had a dance and a banquet for all of the teams.  On top of everything else, the teams got to stay on the University of Oregon's campus and run at a historic track.

For breakfast, they ate waffles in the shape of Nike shoes!

Historic Hayward Field

With all of the competition, the pole vaulter finished 3rd and the shot putter finished 6th!

Go Arrows!

Last weekend continued

We left Seattle early Saturday morning, around 7:30, and headed to the Washington Coast.  I have already been there once, but I knew Joseph would love it... and I was RIGHT!
We drove to La Push, WA... home of the Twilight werewolves and camped on the beach.

The BEAUTIFUL Lake Crescent which we passed on our way to the beach. 

 If only this sunshine was a predictor of our weekend weather.  Apparently, if there is sunshine inland, it is pushing the cloudy fog to the shore. Bummer.

This is the beach where we camped.  It's called third beach. 

You have to hike 1.4 miles in to the beach from your car, carrying everything!

Those are sea stacks off in the distance

Putting his feet in the Pacific Ocean!

Our campsite!

Our dinner the first night: chicken fajitas and fresh corn on the cob.  Joseph made our fire pit!

He was proud

My awesome hiking attire...it was COLD

On top of a waterfall that was near those sea stacks you just saw

Joseph hanging off the side of a cliff!

These were sites on our 4 mile hike!

The awesome tree I took my picture with earlier in the summer

The bottom view of the tree

On our last morning, the weather was BEAUTIFUL!

This is the lowest tide of the month.  The night before was the highest tide of the month.  Notice all of the rocks you couldn't see before...we thought they were whales!

The lines the seaweed made as they were pulled out to sea

Joseph carried ALL of this on our 1.4 mile hike out! he is champ!

Goodbye Washington coast!

On our way home, we took a ferry (my first one ever) to Seattle.

The  Seattle skyline from the ferry

It was a weekend we will never forget! So, I will leave you with this...

Joseph's Last Weekend was EPIC

We had so much fun this past weekend that it has to be split into two posts....
Friday, I was able to get off work at two and we drove to Seattle for a Mariners vs Yankees game!  It was awesome..except they lost.

It is right on the water.  This is what you see as you are driving down the interstate!

A sculpture made of baseball bats

A. Rod...AKA Cameron Diaz's boyfriend!

Suzuki Ichiro is Joseph's favorite!

Ichiro's diehard fans...they got really excited everytime he got up to bat!

Great Memories!

Leaving Seattle... Mt Ranier is in the background just to the left of the bridge..

but it blends in with the clouds