The Holmeses

Jake's first few days

2010-11-10T22:04:00.001-08:00

We had a scheduled C-section since we found out that Jake was breach at 36 weeks. That meant four days in the hospital. We enjoyed our time at the hospital and loved all of our visitors. Eric became a pro with the diapers since I was not able to get up and walk around due to the surgery. Oh how our life was changing-but for the best!

Introducing Jacob Benjamin Holmes

2010-11-10T21:45:00.000-08:00

Born June 23, 2010 at 1:10 pm

8 lb, 1 oz (yes, 8 lbs! No wonder I was so huge!), 21 inches

Watch me grow!

2010-11-10T21:36:00.000-08:00

5 months

6 months

7 months

8 months

9 months

The morning of June 23, 2010

Oh blog-it's been too, too long!

2010-11-10T21:19:00.000-08:00

A lot has happened since our last post in January. We have been so busy that I have not updated in months! I hope to catch up before the new year.

31, not just a fun card game

2010-03-05T19:49:00.000-08:00

January 8th would have been Elvis's 75th birthday-and it was my 31st. We celebrated with dinner at Perry's and then cake with the family afterwards. Here's to another great year!

more maui pix

2010-03-05T19:38:00.000-08:00

Yes, I rocked the bikini at 19 weeks . . . why not?

Maui time!

2010-03-05T19:26:00.000-08:00

With a baby on the way, we were especially excited for our trip to Hawaii this year. We knew that it might be the last one for a while. We had a great time, as always and even tried a few new things. We took a trip to upcountry to get a tour of the pineapple vineyard. We also took a day trip to the neighboring island of Lanai and checked out the sites there. Of course, we also did a lot of eating, swimming and soaking up the sun.

18 weeks and counting . . .

2010-03-05T19:21:00.000-08:00

We hit the 18 week mark right before our trip to Hawaii. Since we are not finding out the sex, we got to have our anatomy screening a little early. The baby looks great. I can see a lot of Eric in the 3D shot. We have had several boy and girl predictions so far, we shall see!

Introducing Baby Holmes

2010-03-05T19:14:00.000-08:00

Due June 27th. We aer SO excited!!! Here is our 12 week ultrasound and tummy shot.

Halloween

2010-02-21T12:12:00.000-08:00

We took Mollie and Mazen to adidas again this year for Halloween. Our friends Amy, Brady and Kayley joined us for some trick-or-treating at the village. Later, we headed to Corvallis for the Beavs game with Amy, Tony, Jenn, Joel and Aryn. Jenn and Joel really got into the Halloween spirit! Fun times!

Weekend in Seattle

2010-02-18T21:10:00.000-08:00

In October I made a trip up to Seattle to visit my cousin Meagan. We had a great time. We drove to Snoqualmie Falls and checked out the small town near by. Meagan also took me to see the "boat elevator" in Ballard. We found some good eats at Portage Bay and the Farmers' Market. It was a fun weekend-as always with Meagan.

Winter in Sunriver

2010-01-25T11:18:00.000-08:00

In December, we took a trip to Sunriver. We enjoy experiencing the "winter wonderland" of Sunriver in December. We enjoyed breakfast at the lodge with its beautiful mountain views. The lodge also hosted a wonderful gingerbread house competition that we got to see. We did not do any skiing this year but Eric and I did take an 8 mile walk along the river and through the snow. It was beautiful!

Baby Maya Olivia

2009-12-13T17:28:00.000-08:00

We expected Miss Maya to come in September, but she held out and arrived just two days before her due date. Maya was born on October 3, 2009 at 8:55 pm. She was 7 lbs, 5 oz and 20 1/4 inches long. Big sister Mollie was very excited to meet her new little sister. Lil' Mazen was curious as well. Since he is only 16 months older than Maya, we don't think he has any jealousy issues and is very intrigued by the new addition. Congratulations Laura and Fadi!

More Shasta fun

2009-12-13T11:43:00.001-08:00

Shasta 2009

2009-12-13T11:15:00.000-08:00

In early September we returned to Lake Shasta for a long weekend of fun and sun with some of our best friends. We had a wonderful time lounging in the sun, jumping off the top of the boat, sliding down the water slide and hanging out in the water.

Hood to Coast 2009

2009-10-12T20:23:00.000-07:00

August marked our 4th anniversary and of course-the Hood to Coast relay. We have participated in this event together for three years in a row now. This year, we were on separate teams which was different for us, but we still had fun. We even got to see each other at many of the exchange sites. Afterwards, we stayed the night in Seaside with my parents and enjoyed watching all the teams finishing on the beach.

Don't forget to floss!

2009-09-16T21:06:00.000-07:00

The night before graduation, our school had an awards ceremony to recognize our class. I was sure that I was not going to win anything, so I told my parents not to come. Much to my surprise, I ended up taking home one of the awards that night. Our classmates and teachers voted to select the winners. I was honored to receive the Preventive Oral Health Care award. The award was given based on compassion for patients and promoting preventive oral health.

After the ceremony we enjoyed some drinks and appetizers with friends at the McMenamin's Grand Lodge. It was a good night!

Finally-graduation!

2009-09-16T20:40:00.001-07:00

Wow-I can't believe that it has happened! It has been years in the making. First, taking night classes at PCC after working 8 hours at Regence. Then condensed summer classes to get A's in chemistry. Finally, two grueling years of hygiene school. It is official-I am a dental hygienist!

Graduation was in mid August. It was a beautiful ceremony on the lawn of the main campus of Pacific University in Forest Grove. In one hour, my 28 fellow students and I were transformed from hygiene students to official graduates with a bachelor's degree in dental hygiene. I thought that this might be a sad time for me but shockingly-I was so happy to be done that I couldn't even shed a tear!

After some quick photos with friends, we headed to Milos' for a celebration brunch with the whole family including Mike and Linda who had come up from Eugene. It was a long journey and I am glad that it is finally over!

Hanging out with friends

2009-08-16T18:04:00.001-07:00

July 31st marked the last day of classes for my dental hygiene program. It has been an incredible two years and I have made so many wonderful friends along the way. Since we cannot not work until we have our license, and we can't get our license until we graduate, we had a mandatory two week break for the first week of August. My friends Teri, Cari and I made good use of this time. We scheduled a relaxing spa day at Dosha after a yummy breakfast at Mother's. We definitely deserved it!

The next day, Teri's brother took us out on the Willamette in his boat. We cruised up to the Columbia and enjoyed some time on the river. What a wonderful way to relax!

and more pics

2009-08-10T10:28:00.001-07:00

More BBQ photos

2009-08-10T10:24:00.001-07:00

Eric's 30th bday BBQ

2009-08-10T10:16:00.000-07:00

We invited some friends and family over to celebrate the big occasion! We might be getting old but we still have fun!

4th of July fun and hiking with Aryn

2009-07-20T22:31:00.000-07:00

This year, we actually made a point to drive into Bend and stake out a spot to watch the fireworks. We had a great view at a near by park. The show was short and sweet-great for the Minus ADD.

While we were in Sunriver, we met up with my good friend Aryn from college. We met for a delicious breakfast in downtown Bend and then conquered a 4.5 mile hike near Mt. Bachelor. It was long trail but the view was totally worth it.

Golf, fishing and water fights

2009-07-20T22:29:00.001-07:00

Sunriver

2009-07-20T22:17:00.000-07:00

We spent our third year in a row at Sunriver for the 4th of July this year. We had another great trip. This was our first trip to Sunriver since my dad's stroke. He was hoping to be able to ride his bike and play some tennis and golf-and he did! It was wonderful to see him out again.

Eric spent a lot of mornings fishing while I ran and swam. We also floated the river (and got rained on) and spent some time with my friend Aryn who lives in Bend.

Father's Day Tea

2009-07-20T22:14:00.001-07:00

For Father's Day, we took my parents to a Tea House in Sherwood for some traditional English tea. The food was delicious and they had an incredible variety of tea. We will definitely visit again.

Summer BBQ

2009-06-22T10:42:00.001-07:00

Since we were having a span of good weather, Eric and I decided to have a last minute BBQ at our house. We invited some friends over for some good food, wine, and conversation!

Road Trip!

2009-06-22T10:32:00.000-07:00

At the end of May, I drove up to Seattle with two of my friends from hygiene school to take our National Board. Our tests are taken at testing sites and when the Portland site was full, we decided to take a road trip up to Seattle to take the test.

My parents were nice enough to put us up in a hotel room for the night. We drove up early on Thursday and spent the day touring Seattle's Pike Place market. Later we met my cousin Meagan and her boyfriend Lucas for Sushi near our hotel. It was nice to be able to make a mini vacation out of the experience.

We got up early on Friday morning for the 5 hour test. Afterwards, we headed straight back to Portland to avoid Memorial day weekend traffic. The trip was fun and we all ended up passing the exam-yeah!

What happens in Vegas . . .

2009-06-15T21:42:00.001-07:00

Is not that exciting when you are 30 and married :o)
A group of girls from hygiene school went on a trip to Vegas in May to celebrate being done with the most grueling part of school. There were about 10 of us all staying at the Monte Carlo. We had a great time! We spent the day laying around by the pool and then experienced Vegas night life at night. Our favorite spot was actually in Fremont at the Golden Nugget. We enjoyed drinks at the H2O bar while watching the sharks swim by in their pool's shark tank-crazy!

More Vegas pix

2009-06-15T21:18:00.001-07:00

New Lawn

2009-06-15T20:35:00.000-07:00

Our front lawn has been a source of embarrassment for us for years. It just never seemed like the right time to put money into it. Eric had enough of it and decided to re-sod the whole thing. With some help from friends, he was able to finish the task in a weekend. It looks great!

Pete's recovery

2009-06-15T20:24:00.000-07:00

We were all shocked to hear that my dad had suffered a severe stroke in early March. He spent 3 days in ICU, another 3 days in the neurology unit and then over 3 weeks in the rehab unit at Providence.

Finally, he was released to go home in early April. He and my mom moved into our house at first because we have a bedroom on the main floor and only a couple of stairs to our front door. He arrived in a wheelchair and was able to walk all the way from the car into our house. Eric took him on daily walks and they went further and further every day.

After just one short week, he was ready to conquer the stairs at his house. It has been over 3 months now since the stroke and he is doing so great! His doctor even officially named him her best severe stroke recovery to date. Did we expect any less?

Happy St. Patty's Day

2009-05-25T16:33:00.001-07:00

It was that time of year again. We usually celebrate by doing the Shamrock run but it was so hectic only Eric did it this year. He did make a special trip to the store for some food coloring so that we could celebrate with some green beer!

Pete turns 62!

2009-05-25T16:27:00.000-07:00

February 19th was my dad's 62nd birthday! We celebrated with my family and dad's favorite banana cake. I got a few good photos of the grandkids. Happy birthday dad!

Long time, no post!

2009-05-25T16:19:00.001-07:00

It has been a long time since we've posted. School and life have been crazy! Here is what we have been up to.

Earlier in the term, Mollie came to the clinic to have her teeth cleaned. It was fun to see her-although I am not too sure how much she liked it.

Skating with Mollie

2009-02-14T22:05:00.000-08:00

This weekend I went to Oaks Park skating rink with my niece Mollie. It was her first time skating and she did a great job! No major falls or knocked out teeth (like another poor little girl at the rink that day). We had a great time and the place hadn't changed a bit in the 20 years it had been since I was there last!

Maui

2009-01-18T21:27:00.001-08:00

We spent the first part of January in beautiful Maui! Pete and Joyce invited us to join them on their trip-and we couldn't turn it down. It was our 4th time to that island but we still found new things to do. We spent one day on the beaches of Kaa'napali which we had not previously explored. We also got up early one day and drove 2 hours to see the sun rise on Haleakala. It was gorgeous to see the vibrant colors reflecting off of the clouds-almost worth getting up at 4:00 am on your vacation :o)
We also stuck to some of our favorite traditions on Maui. We had several meals at the beautiful Five Palms restaurant, many sunset walks on Wailea's oceanfront path (while sipping on Lava Flows of course), and morning runs along the beach followed by trips to the Shaved Ice hut.
This time, we celebrated my 30th birthday while we were there. My mom even made me my favorite home-made white cake with rainbow chip frosting. The sun and gorgeous scenery made the big 3-0 easier to handle!
A few things that never change no matter how many times we go to Maui; we always have a wonderful time and we are never ready to come back home!

More Maui photos

2009-01-18T20:07:00.000-08:00

Night out!

2009-01-04T21:58:00.000-08:00

My friends Cari and Teri and I planned a night out with our husbands during our winter break from hygiene school. We decided to go out to dinner and bowling at Grand Central. It was tons of fun! The guys got along really well while we vented about how much we love school :o)

Hello 2009!

2009-01-01T18:13:00.000-08:00

The end of 2008 was upon us! We went over to our friends Jeff and Ashley's house to say goodbye to 2008. We enjoyed lots of delicious appetizers and maybe a little too much wine! It was a family affair with the whole DeCosta clan and even a visit for Pete and Joyce. The DeCosta kids know how to keep the party going! We headed to the Ambassador just in time to ring in the new year with some live Karaoke music. A great start to the new year!

More New Year's photos

2009-01-01T16:53:00.000-08:00

The basement remodel is complete!

2009-01-01T16:39:00.000-08:00

Eric has successfully completed his basement remodel-and it looks great! My cousins Meagan and Molly were staying with us for Christmas and Molly was the first person to spend the night in the new space. Last year we would have never guessed that someone would actually be able to sleep in our basement. It will be so nice to have for hot summer days!

White Christmas

2009-01-01T16:11:00.000-08:00

The weathermen were predicting a small break in the snowfall, so two days before Christmas we made a run for Eugene. It was slow-going with snow on the roads all the way through Salem. We did make it to Eugene-4 hours later!

It was well worth the long drive. The huge tree and cookie plate made it feel just like Christmas. We spent our two days in Eugene enjoying time with our family. Katie and her daughter Kaci had flown in from Florida. We enjoyed spending time with family and watching the kids get excited about Christmas surprises!

On Christmas afternoon we headed back up to Portland to spend some time with the Minus family. We went to Laura and Fadi's to exchange gifts and see Mollie and Mazen. We then headed over to Joyce and Pete's for Christmas dinner and games.

Walking in a winter wonderland . . .

2008-12-21T16:03:00.000-08:00

We have been enjoying all of the snow lately, it is beautiful!!! However, we are starting to get a little stir crazy. We have been able to go on a least one good walk each day during the snow but today, we needed to run off some more energy. We bundled up and trekked out to our friend Jeff's house a few miles away. We stopped off at Starbucks on the way of course and even helped push a stuck car along the way!

After we arrived at Jeff's, he drove us to our friends Josh and Andrea's house. Andrea is due to have their first baby (a boy) in March. It was so good to see them. Andrea is such a cute and little pregnant lady! We visited with them and Josh's parents for a while and then headed home. Thank goodness for Jeff's 4-wheel drive!!!

Winter blast

2008-12-21T15:59:00.001-08:00

It has been snowing like crazy up in Portland!!! There has not been this much snow up here in years! It is beautiful and we are enjoying the winter wonderland!

Seaside in December

2008-12-21T15:19:00.001-08:00

The weekend after Thanksgiving, we drove out to Seaside for a weekend with the Minus family. The whole Peter Minus family and grand kids were there. The weather was surprisingly nice for December. We got in a lot of nice walks and boardwalk runs. As always, the pool was crowded-even in the rain. Eric, Pete, Joyce and Mollie made several trip to the hot tub while the rest of us watched from inside.

Thanksgiving in Eugene

2008-12-21T15:02:00.000-08:00

This year we drove down to Eugene to have Thanksgiving dinner with our family. Mike and Linda hosted at their house this year. We had a great time just visiting with the family and seeing our nieces and nephew. Jessica and Theo even brought their wedding photos to share with us. It was a wonderfully relaxing time!

We don't just bleed orange and black . . .

2008-12-14T16:17:00.000-08:00

We also decorate our house with it. That's right, the newly remodeled basement is now a lovely pumpkin orange. All in honor of the Beavs.

The 3 musketeers reunited

2008-12-14T16:07:00.000-08:00

My good friends Aryn and Jenn joined me for the Beavers vs. Cal game. Some of my favorite memories from OSU involve these ladies and we always have a great time when we are together. You know that the day is going to be a good one when you are waiting outside of a liquor store on Saturday morning, waiting for it to open!

We did not disappoint! Although we were a little late to the game-we were fine enjoying our own private pre-funk at Avery park (complete with photo shoot). We straggled over to Reeser and caught a portion of the third quarter. But is it really the game that's important here? Nothing beats making more great memories with Jenn and Aryn!

The basement remodel continues . . .

2008-12-14T16:02:00.000-08:00

Eric has continued to work on remodeling the basement. He has completed the dry wall and it looks great! He continues to impresse me with how handy he is. What a great husband I have!

Girls' weekend at the coast

2008-11-17T21:07:00.000-08:00

Last weekend my sisters, mom and I headed to Seaside for a girls' weekend. We wanted to spend some time with just the Minus girls (and Mr. Mazen). The weather was surprisingly good for November. We went on several walks and did a lot of shopping. It was a very relaxing weekend and we had fun just hanging out with the girls.

Halloween party with the dental gals!

2008-11-01T23:09:00.001-07:00

Friday night we went to my friend Cari's Halloween party. There were a lot of girls from school there and we were all ready to relieve stress and party!

More Halloween photos

2008-11-01T23:01:00.000-07:00

Halloween at adidas

2008-11-01T22:49:00.000-07:00

On Halloween, we took "Sleeping Beauty" Mollie and "Monkey" Mazen to adidas to trick or treat. It has been a tradition since Mollie was a year old. It is fun to see Eric's co-workers and they enjoying seeing Mollie too. And of course, Mollie likes the candy too!

Pumpkins and candy!

2008-11-01T22:42:00.000-07:00

On Thursday night we went over to Laura and Fadi's to carve pumpkins with the kids. My parents and Tiff came too. Fadi made a delicious salmon dinner and then the carving began!

Neil Diamond-take two!

2008-10-27T21:43:00.000-07:00

So, we were faced with huge disappointment last month when the Neil Diamond concert was cancelled. However, it was a blessing in disguise. Superdiamond was coming to Portland in a couple weeks and what better excuse to get together with my dad, sisters and cousin Meagan again!

Meagan drove straight from work in Seattle on Friday afternoon. We planned on dinner at Henry's prior to the show which was being held at Crystal Ballroom just a few blocks away. There was an hour long wait for a table but thanks to Tiff's swift moves, we were able to snag a booth in the bar. We enjoyed yummy food and some drinks before heading to the concert.

We had a great time at Superdiamond. We found our own little space and were able to rock out to all of our favorite Neil songs. Although it was not the same as the real Neil, we still had a great time-and hopefully didn’t embarrass Dad too much!

Crazy times at Superdiamond

2008-10-27T21:29:00.000-07:00

Great Columbia Crossing

2008-10-27T21:12:00.000-07:00

In October, our friend Jenn and her boyfriend Chris came down from Seattle to do a run with Eric and me in Astoria. Eric's fraternity brother Jeff Scoggins passed away last October after being hit by a car. Jeff was born and raised in Astoria. We thought that this would be nice to do the run in honor of Jeff. It was a tough 10K course that started at the Washington side of the Astoria bridge and finished in Astoria. Eric was nice and stayed back with me the whole way as I panted up to the top of the bridge. The incline was nearly unbearable but we made it! Jenn even finished 2nd in our age bracket and I finished 5th. I attribute it to the pre-race Blizzards at DQ the night before! It was really nice of Jenn and Chris to make the trip and it was good to see Jeff's parents.

After the race, we headed to our favorite breakfast place in Seaside, Bagels by the Sea. We gobbled down eggle bagels and coffee guilt free!

Eric's basement project.

2008-10-27T21:07:00.000-07:00

Since school has started up again for me, Eric decided to take on a project of his own. He has begun to finish our basement and former storage area. He is doing the project all on his own and has done a remarkable job so far. I never knew he had such talents! Here are some photos from stage one-framing and electrical.

And baby makes 3, 3 boys that is!

2008-10-27T20:46:00.000-07:00

On October 5th, my friend Molly and her husband Derek had their third baby-another boy! He was a little guy, well under 6 pounds. Molly was not due until the 23rd but just like his brothers, this baby was ready early! He was born around 4:30 pm and did not have a name until the following day. This has been a theme with my friends lately.

I am happy to announce the newest member of the Kline family: Jack Michael Kline! Congratulations Derek, Molly, Reese and Madden!

Dad and daughter night out

2008-10-15T10:34:00.000-07:00

Three years ago, my cousins, sister and I took our dad’s to the Neil Diamond concert in Portland for a dad and daughter night. We had such a blast that we decided to go again this year. We bought the tickets, my cousin Meagan drove down from Seattle and uncle Chris flew up from California. Unfortunately, we found out two days before the concert that the date had been changed. We were SO bummed! We decided to have a dad/daughter dinner anyway.
We dressed up and went to a wonderful dinner at the Chart House. The Chart House is a classy restaurant in the Portland hills and there are beautiful views at every table. The dads treated us to a delicious seafood dinner complete with wine and desserts. We enjoyed chatting and having some quality dad and daughter time while watching the sunset in Portland.

Remembering aunt Liz

2008-10-02T15:28:00.000-07:00

In mid-September, Portland held its annual Koman Race for the Cure. I participated again in memory of my Aunt Liz who past away from cancer in 2006. Liz was an amazing woman! She was fun to be around, always had an opinion and would let you know what was on her mind! She shared Eric and my love for Garth Brooks and my favorite memory of her was rockin’ out to with her and Eric to Garth Brook’s live in Central Park DVD. She was a strong and courageous woman just like all of the women who were celebrated that day. It was very moving to see so many people whose lives are touched by this disease.
I ran my butt off and Liz was definitely helping me. I ran my fastest 5K time in a couple of years and came in 44th overall-not bad for thousands of runners!

Marissa turns 30!

2008-10-02T14:48:00.000-07:00

My big sis Marissa from Kappa Delta turned 30 on the 22nd of September. To celebrate, we headed to the bowling alley! Marissa, her husband Paul, Amy, Tony (and Kayley) and Tony Chang all came for the fun. Tony Chang, Paul and Eric were all in Sigma Chi together, so it was like a mini reunion.

We all had fun. Marissa and Amy are pretty darn good-and all of the boys of course. I am continually amazed at how hard it can be for me to knock those little pins down! We still had a blast though. Tony, Marissa, Eric and I stopped by 31 flavors for some ice cream and then WinCo to raid the bulk bins-just like old times in Corvallis.

More bowling photos

2008-10-02T14:44:00.000-07:00

Beaver Nation

2008-09-24T09:30:00.000-07:00

Eric and I headed down to Corvallis to watch the Beavers take on Hawaii. We hit some major traffic on the way down and missed the pre-game tailgating-but we still had fun. We met up with the Charons and their family. It was Kayley's first Beaver football game. She was probably one of the youngest Beavs fans at the game! Amy and I got to sit next to each other and catch up during the game which was really nice. We stuck around after the game and chatted with friends. We even got to see our KD sorority sister Sally Metz. Fun with friends AND a Beaver victory-what could be better???

After the game, we drove to Eugene to say hello to Mike and Linda. Mike had a big race that day. We hung out and chatted with Linda and had some of her AMAZING blueberry crisp! It was SO good! We were glad that we got to spend some time with them. It was a great day!

Pints to Pasta

2008-09-09T20:39:00.001-07:00

Last weekend we ran the Pints to Pasta 10K race. It starts at the adidas campas and runs along the waterfront, ending at the Old Spaghetti Factory. It is a very fun, fast run with a free pasta feed to all participants who are up for spaghetti at 9am. adidas sponsored the run and gave all employees who ran it free shoes. They also had a challenge to beat the CEO's estimated finished time of 45 mins. Each employee who beats the CEO gets entered to win a trip to the Boston marathon. Eric beat his time, crossing the finish in just over 43 mins. Boston here we come (we'll pass on the marathon!).

H2C 2008

2008-09-09T19:58:00.001-07:00

Every year when I am running my last leg of Hood to Coast, I think to myself "why the heck am I doing this?". But every year, I want to do it again. There is just something fun about running in the middle of the night, in the middle of nowhere with five other sweaty people cramped up in a van. Not to mention living off of bagels and not having access to running water. What could be better!?! Sign me up again next year!

Backsplash is done!

2008-09-09T19:49:00.000-07:00

We put in our granite countertops in over a year and a half ago and have been looking for the perfect backsplash ever since. We have finally made a decision and finished the project. One more down, many more to go!

One year down, one to go . . .

2008-08-19T22:05:00.000-07:00

August marks the midpoint of my time in dental hygiene school. It has really been an incredible year! I have been tested mentally, physically and emotionally and have really grown a lot. I finished up my summer term where my fellow students and I spent the whole summer learning new injections on each other. This was what I was most frightened of upon hearing that I got accepted into school last year. I survived though-with only one breakdown in clinic so far.
I am dumb-founded by how much I have learned this year yet overwhelmed by how much more that I feel I need to know. This next year will be crazy!
Through all the ups and downs of this year I have made so many wonderful friendships with my 30 fellow classmates. We are a rowdy group with boisterous personalities-and I wouldn't want it any other way. I know that I have made some life-long friends with these special ladies. No one else will ever understand the special bond that we have from this crazy experience of hygiene school!

Sunset dinner on Mt. Bachelor

2008-08-19T21:43:00.000-07:00

I was very excited this Sunriver trip because I was able to meet up with my good friend Aryn. We were finally both in Bend at the same time. We met for a morning run along the Deschutes river. It was beautiful and the time flew as we caught up. Afterwards we enjoyed some coffee and chatting. Aryn suggested that I take Eric up to the restaurant that she works at on Mt. Bachelor. They have a sunset dinner with beautiful views. I loved the idea since our anniversary was coming up.

I surprised Eric the next night with the dinner plans. We drove out to Bachelor and took the ski lift up to the restaurant. The view from the lift was gorgeous! It only got better when we got to the restaurant. The deck goes almost 360 degrees around the restaurant. We enjoyed the breath taking views of Mt. Bachelor and the surrounding lakes as we waited for our table.

Aryn was our server which was an extra treat. The food was amazing. We filled up on crab dip for our appetizer and were so full that we barely touched our dinners (they were excellent too). My dad even gave us a bottle of his Minassian Young wine to enjoy. It was a perfectly romantic evening.

It was dark when we left dinner and took the ski lift back down the mountain. It was a full moon and the view was just as wonderful on the way back down. We were so happy that we had gone out-it was a dinner that we will definitely remember.

Summer time in Sunriver

2008-08-18T14:34:00.000-07:00

Eric and I spent another week in Sunriver with the family. We had a wonderful trip! The weather was warmer than last time but the dry heat made it bearable. We spent the first few days with my parents and went on several bike rides, floated the river and played some tennis. Laura, Fadi and the kids joined us in the middle of the week. We biked, swam and ran (Mollie even joined us one time) during the day and spent the nights in front of the TV watching the Olympics. Eric went fishing almost everyday-morning or night. It was so full of activity, we will need a few days to recover!

Introducing Theo and Jessica Taylor

2008-08-16T09:43:00.000-07:00

Immediately following the triathlon, we were on the road to Salishan for Eric's cousin Jessica's wedding. We barely made it in time! The wedding was beautiful! They were married outside in a garden-like setting. Jessica wore a knee-length white strapless dress and Theo was in linen pants and flip-flops.

Afterwards we enjoyed some appetizers and drinks while mingling with family. They had a DJ who played live music the whole time. After dinner they got every one's attention by playing a scavenger hunt game. This game is a tradition at French weddings (one of Jessica's closest friends live in France). It was a riot.

We spent the remainder of the evening on the dance floor. Mike even did his famous "fast feet" dance just for me-very entertaining!

Triathlon Time!

2008-08-06T20:56:00.000-07:00

Last weekend my cousin Meagan and I participated in our second triathlon. We did the same race as last year in Blue Lake park. Once again, the 1/2 mile swim looked about 12 miles long! We made it through without drowning and actually had fun (after my mini panic attack at the start of the swim). After that, we were on to the 13 miles bike ride followed by a 5K. The bike is my personal favorite although it does make running immediate afterwards quite challenging. Our parents, Meagan's boyfriend Lucas and Eric were there to cheer us on the whole way. We were exhausted at the end but we did both manage to beat our times from last year. Until next year . . .

Eric turns 29!

2008-07-31T18:23:00.000-07:00

Eric turned 29 on July 21st. We spent that weekend down in Eugene with Eric's family. We had a BBQ and Linda's homemade German Chocolate cake (Eric's favorite). We all played with Brittany, Dakota and Ashlee at the park and went on a nice evening walk to the river. It was so nice spend some quality time with family.

The next day, on Eric's actual birthday, we spent the day at Fall Creek near Eugene. We had camped there a few years ago and really enjoyed it . We did our favorite thing- hiking up the water. It was painfully cold at first but our feet got used to it. After an hour or so of hiking, we headed back towards home. We stopped at a swimming hole that Eric remembered going to as a kid. We found the perfect rock and jumped into the freezing water. It was SO much fun. Our one regret was that we forgot our camera :o(

The following weekend, we celebrated with the Minus family. We had another BBQ at our house and-again, German chocolate cake. After dinner, we got out our fire pit and spent time visiting. Another great birthday!

!!!HAPPY BIRTHDAY ERIC!!!

Portland's Night Ride

2008-07-14T11:49:00.000-07:00

On Saturday night, I participated in Portland's Night Ride for the first time. This was a unique experience. There are about 2000 people who take the 15 mile ride around Portland. It begins at Union Station at 9 pm, right before the sun goes down. The course crosses the Broadway bridge to the East side and meanders through North and Northeast Portland. There are several stops along the way that include a movie with popcorn, a disco party and all you can eat donuts at the finish. I rode with my friends Cari and Teri from school. We had a great time riding and observing the fellow bikers. Costumes are very popular and range from PJ's to hula skirts. There was even a man who did the whole ride in his birthday suit. We saw him in his full glory at the finish-lucky us! It was fun to partake in such an interesting activity!

4th of July in Sunriver

2008-07-14T11:38:00.001-07:00

We spent the week of the 4th at Sunriver with the family. The weather was amazing! It was hot but dry and perfect for all of the activities that we love to do in Sunriver. We took advantage of the great weather and enjoyed several fun activities. We took daily bike rides to the coffee shop for our morning fix, played tennis with my parents, went of a few trail runs, swam, and floated the river in Eric's pontoon boat. We drove into Bend to watch the fireworks on the 4th. It was Mazen's first experience with fireworks which (at four months) he slept through most of. Mollie enjoyed the fireworks even though she was a little cold and would have liked to have been a little closer to the action. This was our second year spending the 4th in Sunriver and we hope to make it a tradition.

We beat the bridge!

2008-07-02T21:32:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, my friend Tyler and I ran the "Reach the Bridge" race. It is an 8K that starts at the Oregon Zoo and ends on the east side of the Burnside bridge. The trick is, it is a "reverse race". Participants start whenever they want to-as long as they get to the finish before 9:00 am when the bridge raises. Neither of us had done the run before and we really enjoyed it. It was all down hill and very fast. We ended up beating the bridge with plenty of time to spare. We hope to do it again next year and try to cut it a little closer :o)

Welcome baby Kayley!

2008-06-30T14:54:00.001-07:00

Tony and Amy welcomed the new addition to their family on Saturday, June 28th. Amy was supposed to be induced that day but her water broke on its own just after midnight. Baby Charon was born at 12:50 pm on June 28th. She weighed 7 lbs 6 oz. and was 20 1/4 inches long. After a day and a half of pondering, Amy and Tony decided on the name Kayley Alice-Renee Charon. Alice is after Amy's grandmother and Renee is both Amy and her mother's middle name. Kay is Tony's mother's middle name, so Kayley was the perfect choice, well worth the wait! Big brother Brady is warming up to his new sibling. Congratulations Charon family!!!

A day at the zoo

2008-06-30T14:23:00.000-07:00

Darcy, Brittany, Dakota and Ashlee came to visit in June. They had great time playing with Brady and Mollie at our BBQ. The next day, Darcy and Eric took them to the Oregon zoo. They saw lots of animals. Their favorites were the bats and bears. The next day, we saw Eric off at the airport for a work trip. Then, we enjoyed a breakfast at Village Inn followed by "Horton Hears a Who" at Kennedy school. It was a fun-filled weekend!

First BBQ of the summer

2008-06-28T19:50:00.000-07:00

We finally had a BBQ to celebrate the new deck that Eric and his dad built. We had a pretty full house. Darcy and the kids were in town from Eugene, my parents joined us as well as my sister Laura, Fadi, Mollie and Mazen. Our friends Tony, Amy and Brady came as well as our friend Jeff. We had such a great time BBQing and chatting while the kids played in the back yard. We hope to have another one soon.

It's that time of year again!

2008-06-28T19:42:00.000-07:00

The beginning of June marks the time for the Helvatia Half marathon. We have done it several times during the last few years-and it always seems to sneak up on us! Eric did great this year and ran his fastest time ever. Amy, Tony and Brady even came to cheer us on! An exciting day!

Uncle Kenny Country!

2008-06-06T16:28:00.001-07:00

Going back to school after a break is never fun-unless you have Kenny Chesney tickets that night! Eric was able to get 5th row tickets-we were so close! Kenny was amazing as always. He played our favorite songs and we had a great time. We can't wait until he comes back!

Beaver Baseball

2008-06-06T16:21:00.000-07:00

It's baseball season again! Eric was able to get box tickets to a Portland Beaver game. We invited some friends and family to come along and enjoy the game with us. We had a great time, as usual. The highlight was definitely hangin' with the team mascot "Lucky"-he and I go way back! Go Beavs!

Surprise Sunriver Trip

2008-06-04T21:59:00.001-07:00

Over memorial weekend, Eric and I were able to spend the long weekend at the Sunriver house. We got there Friday night and were joined on Saturday by my mom, Tiffany and our friend Jeff. It was a little cloudy but we were still able to get in some good bike rides-we even got stuck in a thunderstorm during one of them! On Saturday night, Jeff's sister Missy joined us for the night after a concert in Bend. We enjoyed some pizza and poker. The next day we met our friends Brooke and Suzy for coffee in the morning. Afterwards, Brooke, Eric and I completed a 7 mile trail run from Sunriver to Benum Falls. We had a great time and will definitely do it again soon! It was great to get away from the city and have some time to relax.

Summer Heat

2008-06-04T21:33:00.000-07:00

We experienced an unusally hot Friday in mid-May. Eric was able to take some time off of work and we headed to the Gorge for a hike. We took the Bonneville Dam exit and hiked the Eagle Creek trail. It was beautiful! There were several little falls along the way. The trail to the main falls weaved through a gorgoeous river bank. The temperature dropped at least 10 degrees on the trails along the falls! It was the perfect way to spend the hot afternoon.

Mollie turns 4!

2008-05-13T21:45:00.000-07:00

Today, May 13th, Mollie turned 4 years old! She was surprised with a new purple bike from her parents as well as various "Disney princess" and "pet-shop" gifts from her aunts and uncles. The family got together for pizza and home-made cake to celebrate her big day. We can't believe how quickly she is growing up!

Eric gets hosed!

2008-05-13T21:29:00.000-07:00

During the month April, Eric participated in a month-long mustache growing competition at adidas. It was a long and scary process! The competition was serious business, complete with costumes and speeches. Eric's theme was Reno 911 Lt. Dangle. He was lookin' hot in his short shorts and pilot's glasses. Although he did win "best first impression", he came in fourth overall. He was a little disappointed but still took time to pose with his winnings-a signed Dale Earnhardt Jr. tire. What could be more thrilling?!?!

The newest member at the Holmes household

2008-05-03T19:36:00.000-07:00

With gas prices nearing $4 a gallon, we thought it would be fun to have an alternative to our gas-guzzling SUV's. Introducing Pepe-our new Honda scooter. He is fast and very fun-and gets 100 miles per gallon. Eric plans on taking him to work in the summer and I can use him to get to the gym and the grocery store. Watch out Wilshire-here comes Pepe!

Seattle Birthday Weekend

2008-04-16T22:26:00.000-07:00

Tiffany and I made a trip up to Seattle to celebrate her 32nd birthday with our cousin Meagan. We had a great time! We toured Theo chocolate in Fremont which is the only organic, fair trade chocolate maker in the US. It was a lot of fun. Afterwards we met my friend Jenn and treated ourselves to pedicures-very relaxing! We finished off the weekend by watching the PAC-10 women's gymnastics championships. The Beavers did awsome-as usual-and finished in second place. It was a wonderful ending to a great weekend with family and friends!

***GO BEAVS***

Welcome to the family Mazen!

2008-03-09T20:10:00.001-07:00

On Sunday, March 9th, we welcomed baby Mazen into the world. He took his time making his big entrance. Laura's water broke Friday afternoon and he didn't make his arrival until 12:51 am on Sunday morning! He is 6 lbs, 10 oz and 20 inches long. Both mom and baby are doing well. We are excited to have a new nephew in the family!

Manzanita Weekend!

2008-03-05T09:08:00.000-08:00

Amy and Tony invited us to Manzanita for the weekend at their parent's beautiful beach house. It was a GORGEOUS couple days-the nicest that we've seen at the beach since the summer. The sun was out the whole time. It was a perfect relaxing weekend. We spent a lot of time hanging out and talking, going on walks and runs and we even completed a puzzle. Best of all, we made a trip into Tillamook for a tour of the cheese factory-something that I've been wanting to do for years. We were a little bummed because the workers weren't there on the weekends but we still took the time to get some ice cream and squeaky cheese-YUM!

Laura's baby shower

2008-03-05T08:39:00.000-08:00

In February, we hosted a shower for Laura and her baby boy who is due March 15th. It was a tea theme (a tradition started by Aunt Liz) and all of the aunts and cousins were invited. We all enjoyed lovely tea sandwiches and scones but more importantly, it was great spending time together. Laura received some amazing gifts including several hand-made items. We can't wait to meet baby Mazen when he arrives!

The Minus name lives on!

2008-03-05T08:33:00.000-08:00

We are happy to introduce the newest member of the Minus family. Cousin Jeff and his wife Wendy welcomed Maxwell Christian Minus into the world on January 18th. We finally have a male Minus to carry on the family name-no pressure Max! Congratulations Jeff and Wendy on your beautiful baby boy!

Sunriver

2008-01-19T19:48:00.000-08:00

We experienced our first winter trip to Sunriver this Jaunary. We had prepared for a low key, relaxing time but found ourselves very busy. We spent time snowshoeing, skiing, sledding and lots of walks in the snow. It felt like our own winter wonderland. We will definetly plan another trip next winter.

In the beginning

2008-01-13T20:41:00.000-08:00

Here we were in the beginning-August 27th 2005!