September 29, 2013

September 29, 2013

Dear Children,

     We had a fabulous Labor Day vacation at the Running Y Resort in Klamath Falls. We had many more children than we thought would be able to come. Even at the last minute, we had additional family members. We barely fit in our places but it was so nice to have so many there. It is the first time that we have been on the Klamath Falls property. They have three bedroom chalets with a hot tub on the deck, which make a gathering very fun. Grandma Maldonado came and rented a regular unit for part of the time so some of the family stayed with her.

Besides playing tons of games in the evenings in the chalet and the grandchildren loving the hot tub, we traveled to beautiful Crater Lake twice. It is awesome in the real use of the word. The first day trip on Friday, when we had half of our numbers, we hiked down to the dock while Nate and others tried to fish off the rocks. Nate and

Laura were cooking that night so he hoped to add some fresh fish to his grilling menu. It was incredible to be down by the water for a couple of hours. None of us planned to take the boat ride which was a good thing since they were canceled. Being at the water's edge of Crater Lake is breathtaking.

We rotated the breakfast and dinner meal preparations. The first evening I put a roast and vegetables in my Bean Pot kind of late since Dad and I were off having some fun and then shopping for groceries in town. Dinner came out after Adrianne and Blake arrived on Thursday night. Nate started off the large family meals by grilling chicken, shrimp and vegetables galore! The next morning Adrianne and Blake served a French toast breakfast; Heidi and Katie served a Cafe Rio style dinner Saturday. On that day, five family members (Shawn, Gregory, Morty, Nate and Laura Berk) drove to the Oregon Duck game in Eugene and joined us later in the evening.

On Saturday we had a fun day in Klamath Falls taking the trolley that talked about the town's history and then enjoying a fun Farmers Market there. Running Y has a very nice pool so everyone enjoyed that in the afternoon after a little bit of bike riding. We brought extra bikes for the children but the terrain there was pretty hilly. An earlier ride our first day found Dad and I walking our bikes up some very steep hills. I know, I have told many of you, “It is easier to ride a bike up a hill than push it!” But, this one hill had my front tire feeling like it was lifting and I am determined not to fall backwards on a bike ever again!

The path around the golf course had more doable hills but still fairly challenging for the children but I think they made it halfway around even so.
     Our family’s Duck fans came home late Saturday evening; the car plastered with the Midges, the gnat-like insects that have long enough wings that the front of the grill looked like fur! They were traveling back in the dark past the breeding grounds of these insects (the lake) and the insects fly towards any light! Even though the car and front grill was washed after that drive, earlier this week, Grandma’s radiator hose blew off most likely due to the pressure built up from the insect body parts coating the sides of the radiator!

Some of us found a sacrament meeting in town on Sunday morning. It was a great ward; so many people came up to us afterward to introduce themselves and welcome us. The family members that stayed back at the place started a linguisa breakfast for everyone. That is a great Maldonado family tradition to BBQ linguisa sausage and rolls. We headed to Crater Lake again to enjoy Ranger activities for the children, a trolley ride around the rim for some of the adults and a hike to a beautiful waterfall. There is so much to do in Crater Lake we could have spent at least another day. We ended with a great meal at the historic Crater Lake Lodge and riding home VERY late at night. During the weekend Scott was able to call and get through even though we all had spotty cell coverage and have the opportunity to talk to almost everyone there! He also sent letters addressed to everyone in the family with his perspective as a teenager of how he remembered our family was when it was first formed so he could be part of our family gathering.

Morty took Katie to the Klamath Falls airport very early Monday morning so she could get back to work. Aaron was in charge of sourdough pancakes on that morning which everyone always loves. Grandma's car had to leave that day with the Las Vegas family members since they had a flight early Tuesday morning in Portland. We played as many games as possible before they had to leave and the grandchildren loved playing in the hot tub once again. In the afternoon we swam in the pool forever so those children were in the water all day! Shawn and Aubrey made chicken teriyaki that night and surprise; we played more games!

Blake and Adrianne left Tuesday morning but Heidi decided to stay back an extra day since she didn't feel prepared to leave early enough on Tuesday. The grandchildren wanted to go back to the pool and Dad and I took our bike ride late that morning. While Dad took an extra loop on his bike, I started pushing laundry through for the Wednesday travelers and doing some pre-packing of the kitchen to make our Wednesday departure easier. Heidi and Shawn's family went to a lake that was close by to see what it was like while Dad and I stayed back to get a chicken BBQ dinner going so the children could get to sleep earlier for Wednesday travels. They returned as soon as William got stung by a bee on his hand.

Heidi's family left in the morning and Shawn's family stayed until check out. After which, we met them at the tennis courts and played some games, swam and then finally said goodbye. Klamath Falls is about halfway between Portland and the Bay Area so we arrived at our homes about the same time. Dad and I tried to catch up on work the rest of the week. I had tried to meet an incentive with SendOutCards that happened to end while we were in Klamath Falls. I finally gave up on the last day of the incentive month on Saturday when internet and cell coverage were so poor and I wanted to be part of all the family activities. I learned afterward that I missed earning an extra $500.00 by only two customers so I was just sick about that! But, I have set more goals for the months ahead even so.

We weren't home long before we were leaving for Clovis to be with Aunt Carla and Uncle Scott. It was the weekend of the Quail Lake Triathlon but Carla had to cancel it but we went anyway. Being at their place is like a resort to us as I have mentioned before. It was tons of fun to be there although the day before we thought we would stay home. Grandma Maldonado was at her annual reunion in California when she fell and had to be taken to the hospital. She had all the symptoms of a concussion and was released so she could return home to rest. Morty was in Portland for a Saturday Oregon Duck game. He and Katie put their skills together, Katie's work made some exceptions since it was a medical emergency that kept Grandma off her original flight and got Morty on a flight to go pick up Grandma in Oakland. He met Aunt Denise and Grandma at the Oakland airport and returned on a flight to get Grandma settled in her home. It worked out very nice thanks to their kindness and availability. Grandma now feels much better with the rest that she has been able to get.

In Clovis we enjoyed wonderful weather, a relaxing time and fun at the pool with Carla and Scott's family. We had a real treat on Sunday morning as we were enjoying a relaxing breakfast on their back patio when we heard a helicopter flying close by. We realized that it was Scotty doing a fly-by on one of his medical runs. He now works for an ambulance company where he is the trauma nurse that picks up people in their plane and helicopter. It is quite an exciting work for him. He still works in the Cath lab at St Angus and at Kaiser when he gets called in. After church the Tobler family gathered for dinner so we played games with them in our last hours in Clovis. It was a short but sweet trip.

While we were enjoying a relaxing weekend in Clovis, Adrianne and Blake were facing a weekend of digging out from a flooded basement. They will remember their Friday the Thirteenth experience for many years! They opened their door upon arriving home from work and knew something was wrong. Water rushed from the neighbor’s yard where the builder had changed the natural landscaping, filled the window well of one of their guest rooms and burst through the window sending water, mud and glass all the way to the family room. Unfortunately, the room that received the most damage was where they were storing the unopened boxes from their recent move. They threw away much of what was in that room which included lots of photos. Five men from a clean up service came in and worked until midnight, pulling up their carpet and cutting all their walls up about two feet. It may be a while before they can repair things since the builder, who originally agreed that it was his fault, is now saying he has no responsibility.

BYU football season is upon us so Dad and I watched the TV broadcast of the BYU Cougars lose to University of Utah. RATS, I just hate watching them lose! This week we were able to watch them WIN; I love that! I even watched some of the Duck game last night since Morty was in town at the game; in the rain the entire game!

Last week I was at a lecture where the presenter had a great football analogy: Just do something. Not everything has to be a touchdown. Just start the play and move the ball 2 ½  yards (4 times) for a first down." I LOVE IT! And for my detail-oriented children, I KNOW that technically, 4 times 2 ½ yards will not fly on the football field but I think you get the gist of the message. Just keep moving forward!

Speaking of football, Morty was here this weekend for an Oregon Duck game. I wasn’t supposed to be here until Sunday but I had a very disheartening non-revenue experience this week trying to get to a SendOutCards meeting in Hartford, Connecticut. I even slept (well tried to sleep) in the Denver airport when I couldn’t get on a 1:00 am Red-Eye flight to Charlotte, hoping to be early for the 7:00 am to Philadelphia or 7:05 am to Charlotte. Running with non-running shoes between concourse A and B with my luggage still didn’t do the trick! I DO NOT like USAirways for more reasons than it is hard to know how full their flights will be ahead of time! I came home extremely dejected and then realized that it would give me more time with Morty.

I slept in Saturday morning to try and get rid of the headache with which I came home and so Morty came and sat on my bed and talked for a long time. Now that is heaven to me! He had a fun suggestion for Christmas since only the Las Vegas children are traveling home this year: Vegas for Christmas if Katie is still working for SW. He thought maybe the Utah families would drive to Las Vegas at the last minute also. So, this all will be a last minute decision; kind of fun!

Morty’s football game was Saturday evening giving us time to go to lunch with Dad and Grandma Maldonado. I didn’t get out of my pajamas until noon! It was really a lazy day. He took all sorts of rain gear since we are having tons of rain right now but his feet still got wet since it rained the entire game.  I couldn’t believe they stayed the whole game since it was also a blow out.

Today was Tanner Green’s mission farewell. Can you believe that, the youngest Green? He is going to a mission in Guatemala; somewhere that I never knew existed. He ended his talk in sacrament meeting with this thought: It all boils down to, “Did Joseph Smith really see God the Father?” And yes, he did.

Love you all. It is that time of the year when I would like any Christmas gift ideas. I will send the sibling gift rotation on a separate email.  Love, Mom

Summer 2013

Dear Children,

Once again I have become overwhelmingly behind in my writing. You might be able to tell in this description of our summer when I stopped to write about our adventures and when I am writing from recall! After our Hawaii trip, I put some serious effort into planning for Girls Camp food and then headed to Salt Lake City for our SendOutCards convention at the end of May. I love when we are in Salt Lake as it is just better being by the headquarters; touring our headquarters is so impressive. Aaron was able to meet us in Salt Lake and stayed with us. Due to the young girl at the front desk flirting with him as they talked about his hike in the Grand Canyon, we got our room upgraded. Pretty cool! The convention is always very energizing and I love having team members there learning alongside me. I appreciate the direction of the company and so glad I am a part of it. Not only do I love serving with other people and businesses, I like how I am growing with this business.

Another bonus to being in Salt Lake for business is seeing family there. Heidi and the children met us at Aunt Julie's for Sunday dinner and on the way home we got to stop at the cemetery and see Jack's new headstone. It has a photo of him engraved or imprinted somehow. We also got to peer in the windows of a home in Eagle Mountain that Adrianne and Blake were looking to buy. After we left, Aaron stayed longer at the Severson's and actually saw the home that they ended up buying.

If you haven't heard the story about Adrianne and Blake selling and buying a home in record time, you should ask them for details. On almost a whim they put their town-home up for sell before leaving on their Hawaii trip. It sold while in Hawaii and they needed to find a new home since they had to put their ducks somewhere! Things worked out and they moved out of their town-home with a loaded freezer, signed papers and got their keys only to drive the freezer to the new home's garage to plug it in all in one day when the temperature was over 90 degrees!!!

Girls Camp was earlier in the summer this year. The best thing about that was that once it was over, there was an overwhelming feeling of relief for the rest of the summer. The hard part about going to camp in June, especially to the western peninsula of the Puget Sound, is that you must expect it to be cold and rainy. We lucked out. I think that there was only one day of rain. I planned more warm meals thinking the girls would be cold at mealtime but we didn't need that. Each year it is amazing to me how much food we go through though. And this year we missed not having Adrianne with us. She was the most valuable cook in the kitchen last year.

 

Right after camp, Dad and I headed to the coast to take advantage of a Christmas gift certificate from Aaron that we received for a whale watching tour. Luckily there was a last minute Depoe Bay opening so we were able to stay close by and enjoy the coast. Time was critical with work responsibilities so we were even willing to just drive down for the day for the tour. It was quite interesting and a great learning experience plus, we did see whales. We saw whales from our room after also since we know where to look for the whale tours now!

We visited Shawn and Aubrey's family twice this summer; both times being a blast! In June we had so much fun with all the family members who gathered in Oakland. Katie and Morty met us there as the St. Louis Cardinals were coming into town to play the Oakland A's. Since our family has such diehard Oakland A's and St Louis Cardinals fans, it's fun to meet in Oakland when St Louis comes into town to play the A's. The Friday evening flights were getting full so at one point I thought we might have to get into the Bay Area a couple of hours early and pass the extra time by eating dinner at Los Compadres in Hayward. Oh how I love, love, love that place and all the memories!

Luckily, the Friday evening flight was open so Katie, Dad and I were able to work on Friday and then be at the night game in Oakland. Although, we had a little scare since it took over two hours to get to the airport Friday afternoon. While traveling through snarled traffic and talking to Katie on the phone (she was already at the airport) she helped us navigate through some side roads getting us there just minutes before the flight. 

While packing, I realized that I don't have any Cardinal or Oakland gear, so I asked Katie for permission to go in her drawers, with the leftover clothes that she has it the house, and found a couple of St Louis Cardinals shirts. As soon as I walked in the game, Aubrey handed me an Oakland hat so I could represent both teams. It is always fun at a game with Shawn and Aubrey and the boys. They had bought Family Fun 4 Packs so we all had ball park hot dogs, peanuts and a drink to help enjoy the game. I know that doesn't sound very good but it was quite fun to have the FULL ball park experience. Of course, Shawn’s family always bring lots of extra treats. 

The Oakland A's beat the St Louis Cardinals by a landslide. St Louis didn't look like the team we're used to watching. It was nice for Katie and Morty that St. Louis beat the Oakland A's by a landslide the next day, keeping all family members with smiles on their faces.

On Saturday everyone came by the hotel for breakfast and a quick swim before heading to the second game of the series. It was already very warm in the Bay Area so it was smart to cool themselves off before heading to the hot ballpark. Dad, myself and Bryson stayed back to swim and relax by the pool ALL DAY. What fun! Bryson's swimming skills improved even more in just that day. He is a ball of energy. He must have jumped in the pool over one hundred times to swim, retrieve some water toys, hand them all to me and the climb out and DO IT AGAIN! Aunt Denise drove over to meet us at the hotel and spent some time with us at the pool also. That was fun to get updated on her family.

After the game Shawn and Aubrey planned a fun dinner called a Raclette. It is a fun way to eat with grilling vegetables and meat, melting cheese and pouring it altogether for a yummy treat. It reminded me of Heidi's description of French dinners as you stay at the table for a long time talking and cooking and eating. There is always lots of adventures at Shawn and Aubrey's place.

Right after we returned from California, Kyre, Adam and Klaire came for a visit over the Fouth of July weekend. Much of our time was spent at a softball tournament for Sunny. Luckily it was in Beaverton so everyone could watch her as a family. We postponed our trip to the St. Paul rodeo so we could get to more of her games. By the time we went to the rodeo Meeja had joined us so that worked perfectly. It was apparent that the girls were just at the rodeo for the cotton candy! They were happy campers with their cotton candy.

After Kyre, Adam and Klaire went home, Meeja stayed through the week. She is a fun girl to have around. She is adventurous and a risk taker as always. You can be certain there will be some falls and immediately you will hear Meeja as she pops up, “I'm OK!” We even worked on some of her Girls Activity Days booklet goals. She LOVES to be outdoors either riding a bike or skating on rollerblades.

I changed and washed all the sheets from the last visitors in time for Nate and his friend, Laura Berk to come for a weekend. They had lots of fun things planned including a downtown Portland walking tour. That was very interesting; they invited dad and I to join in. We filled our days and even picked berries to make jam, had an omelet from Canby Farms at the Saturday Market and played games Saturday evening with Grandma Maldonado. Nate likes to cook so they made us dinner Sunday evening. It was a delightful visit. 

Right after Nate's visit we worked a couple of days and then headed down to Oakland again; this time to celebrate Shawn's birthday with him. They invited us to go with them to the California State Fair in Sacramento. We stayed over night by the fair and then Dad, Shawn

and the boys traveled to Sonoma for the drag races. I was so impressed with the fair. We spent the day and into the evening walking the fair and going to a concert that night. The boys are like the energizer bunny! The boys were all in heaven being able to go to the drag races and I was in heaven that the ladies didn't go!

Upon returning home from Oakland we got ready for Dad's annual Utah Lake Century. That gave us a great excuse to see Adrianne and Blake's new home and help them with some new home projects. They have a beautiful home with lots of room for themselves and a great yard for their ducks. The main job we did was to paint their fence. Their homeowner rules say it has to be a certain color of gray We worked hard but had great fun. We even took a break to watch Adrianne show one of the therapy barn's horses at a horse show and meet the owner in the canyon on a later evening for a campfire.

Heidi's family was in Canada while we were in Utah so they let us use their van. That was convenient to have. Even though we didn't see them, we saw Honey as Adrianne was dog sitting for them. While we were in Utah, Katie ran a half marathon here in Portland so we missed supporting her!

Adam came for an alone visit the next weekend. He rode the train up by himself which was so cool. He is earning money for a trip to Washington DC with his school next Spring so he was anxious to work alongside Dad in the yard to make some extra money. The night that Dad drove him home, I left for the beach with Grandma, Carol Stanger and her mom. We were there for two nights and played MANY hours of games.

Meeja came back up with Sunhee from Friday through Wednesday of the next week. We had lots of girl fun with them and even started working in Sunhee's Young Women personal progress booklet. She is very goal oriented and loves to learn. After the girls left, Alina rode the train up here for the weekend and you can image that we played tons of games. She does not like to lose so sometimes that adds playing more games until late into the evening until she has won enough. It is hard to beat Alina at anything anymore and certainly NOT Boggle! When I took her back to the train station, I decided that I am going to plan a trip for Dad and I on the train, somewhere to take our bikes and ride. The train looks like so much fun. On the way back, Alina was able to ride in the top glass dome area of the train. Isn't that cool?

 

We are headed to our next adventure, Klamath Falls and Crater Lake. I booked World Mark long ago and told family to meet us there if they wanted. Only a couple of family members let me know early on that they would go but in the end, most of the family will be gathered there. It should be fun but a little squishy! I will write about that separately.

Dad and I have tried to stay busy with work throughout our travels. Dad has been good to work hard to keep the concrete business alive as well as can be. He has no builder contracts so every job takes a lot more work to get. Thank goodness to the relationships that we have been able to build in the last few years with previous clients so they keep talking about us to their friends and family. Most of our jobs are referred homeowners these days; we thank SendOutCards for that. We are still on track to retire in 2016 even with the industry having such bad years. Our plan is for our SendOutCards income to pay the bills from that point as we want to have the same financial abilities during our retirement even though the construction downturn ate into our retirement investments. 

Dad stays in shape with his cycling. He entered lots of centuries this year. He road to the beach on the back roads through McMinnville in the Reach the Beach Century in May. It rained the entire time and he was very chilled by the end; his energy was sapped. I have never seen him so depleted. A Clark County 68 mile ride took him into Vancouver and Lacamas Lake area. When Kyre and their children were in town, he did the Hagg Lake Triathlon one morning and then met up with us at Sunhee's softball tournament in Cedar Mill. Tour de Cure was in July. I met him at the end and we raced downtown to meet up with Nate and Laura on a Portland Downtown walking tour. Dad doesn't act like he has just ridden 100 miles! He rode the Ulcer Utah Lake Century with Uncle Jerry this year and that was the first time he really cramped up. He admits that he rode too fast in the beginning (trying to keep up with his younger brother!), not pacing himself safely. Alina was here visiting for his last century, that was the Beaverton, Banks and Beyond. I would like to ride a portion of that ride one of these days. I hear that it is beautiful.

  

Whew, now I am caught up. I may have missed some important new though. Love you lots, Mom