a weekend in the woods

I just got home from a fantastic weekend in the woods. It was Julie's B-I-G 4-0 and her family treated her to a cabin in the woods for the weekend. I was a very lucky girl to get the invite! The cabin itself was right on the river and rush of the water made for the best background noise ever! I only wish I could attach the fresh smell of spring to these pictures!

I was VERY happy to get a healthy dose of Vitamin D!
The cabin was full of eclectic collectibles and family effects that kept my camera very busy. Above is a picture of Betty posing as the 'jackelope'.
Here is the Birthday Girl! If you look in the bottom right hand corner of the photo, you can see how close the water was to the back deck of the cabin. It was dreamy!
I was tending to the wood stove. There was also a roaring fireplace, giving the cabin a super cozy feel.
Angela and Julie are actually sitting on a foot bridge that was suspended above the living room. The pictures do not do this cabin justice.
Julie right before her Birthday dinner!
Coconut Cake! Uhm...  Yummy!
A night time picture from outside. I need a tripod so I can take more of these. I actually placed the camera on top of the hot tub to get this still shot.
I love this photo. Betty was drifting in and out of consciousness in front of the fire. 
The cozy fireplace...
There was a picture on the mantle of one of the original builders of the cabin- back in the day. The cabin itself is a registered historical cabin in the area. 
a view over the footbridge into the room where I slept.
Today we hiked around Trillium Lake. It was so warm and the views- amazing....
The ladies refueling with meat and cheese.
I couldn't resist. I had to take a picture of Mama Hood in Betty's sunglasses.
Posing for a pic...
I finally made it up to Timberline lodge on the way home! Usually I am snowboarding and too tired to make the drive up to this ski resort (my pass is for Mt. Hood Meadows not Timberline). The lodge was truly amazing. 
This was a painting of the man that worked hard over several decades to restore the lodge to what it is today. There is a story behind the dog too, but I'm too tired to research that tonight. 

The lodge was beautiful, but the terrain at Meadows is much better. What did catch my attention was all the climbers who were starting their trip up to the top of Mama Hood from the lodge. I'm VERY intrigued by the idea that you can climb to the tippy top of the mountain and snowboard down. Sounds heavenly... I think I just found a new goal.

Much Thanks to Miss J for including me in her b-day extravaganza. It was a blast! That's enough for now. It is sleepy time.

The Bone and I

I had my picture with Coach Bone... Yes, his name is really Coach Bone!
I was supposed to have my picture with Coach Bennett....the extremely attractive man pictured above! Unfortunately for the Cougs, Mr. Bennett fled to Virginia, where he will be making ridiculous amounts of money. Our loss. Although I can say after meeting Coach Bone, he is a stand up guy who knows that he has big shoes to fill. He'll be leaving Portland State for the Palouse. He said he was excited, but that his teenage daughters were less than enthused. 

I found out about this Cougar social because my Wazzu-crazed father emailed me with the details. Thanks Dad!

We had super-discounted Blazer tickets to see the a cougar basketball alum, Mr. Kyle Weaver play for Oklahoma. The irony from this evening was overwhelming. I went to see Bennett. He left and so I rubbed shoulders with Coach Bone. Coach Bone is a local B-Ball Coach moving to Pullman. Kyle Weaver was the motivation for the entire event, because Bennett originally was going to see him play. Kyle also plays for a team that once called Seattle home. RIP Sonics..... And to top it all off, this was the second to last game of the Blazers season and they are playing better than ever!! They won last night (their last game) and are entering the playoffs with a 4th place seed into the tourney! WOO HOO! 
Karen and I go way back! Kentwood High school chums, Regents Hall Staff, Portland chums and now she even lives in the same house I used to!  Nuts eh?
This is her friend Jamie and I'm sure it is hard to believe that these two long-time friends are like brother and sister!

Thanks K and J for a fun night! Go Blazers! and of course GO COUGS!!!!

Easter Sunday

Easter Sunday started out with breakfast with my Mom and my Grandma. My Grandma Junette is 90 years old! She looks great!Grandma and Mom outside the restaurant.After breakfast I found my way to my Brother's house for some fun with Mathew and Will.Poor Mathew has been battling a viral illness lately and was pretty tired today. Before his nap, we had some quality snuggle time. I love this little guy!

Will and I had plenty of time to play with swords, chase each other around the house, and ride quads outside.  I was exhausted and I think he depleted about 1/16 of his energy reserves for the day. 
This picture was pretty cool. Dave and Will built a ramp and Will is now 'catching air'! And so it begins.....

We played with these foam swords for a long-time. I had so much fun hanging with the boys!

Now I'm hanging with Mom and trying to force myself to drive back to Portland! It has been a great Easter Sunday!

Rita and Jason

Rita and Jason were officially married in Mexico last month. Last night they had a small reception for friends and family at the Bathhouse Gardens on the waterfront in North Seattle.

A picture of Rita, Jason and Andrew (Jason's and now Rita's son!) in Mexico shortly after they tied the knot.Rita and Jason celebrating with a 'dip' during their first dance.Reception decor...
There were so many cuties running around! Rita and I- She looked GORGEOUS!There were a few guys working on their tightrope skills right outside the bathhouse. They were very amusing to watch and photograph.

Later in the evening the shenanigans officially started with our interpretation of Charlie's Angels.

Laurel taking her turn at the keg.
There were several of us that helped set up and break down the event. At the end of the night, I opted for my brand new hiking boots instead of running around in my heels. I am IN LOVE with my new boots and had to test them out by walking up a support beam. Silly- I know!
Rita's Mother and her brother-in-law posing for an end of the night picture.
And Rita with Taylor and Jordan. 

It was a great night! Rita was a beautiful bride and she married a fantastic fellow! Much love to Rita, Jason and Andrew!

Loving the lentils!

I have been loving the lentils lately! I have a few friends that regularly prepare delicious lentils dishes (Erica and Ruby) and I decided I needed to experiment!  I couldn't find the right Middle-Eastern spices in the Winco Bulk bins, so I decided to use up what was left in my kitchen. My creation doesn't look very appetizing, but ended up tasting pretty darn good! Apparently Buddha was so tempted he had to get a smell for himself (notice him in the bottom left hand corner of the following pic). 

He is such a trouble maker!
and the recipe:

2 Tbl of olive oil

4 Leeks diced

5 garlic cloves diced

2 red peppers chopped

1 1/2 cups of rinsed uncooked lentils (I used red this time)

9 or 10 cups of low sodium chicken broth

Salt and pepper to taste

Feta cheese as a garnish

I sauteed the first 3 ingredients in the olive oil until soft. Then added the lentils and chicken broth, brought to a boil, then simmered for about 45 minutes, or until the lentils were tender. Then simply salt and pepper to taste and add some feta if you prefer. This dish is super filling. I know I like it because I already finished my leftovers! Yummy!

a few words....

I'm feeling simple today. 

The powder today made up for last weekends snowboard debacle. Redemption is sweet even if I rode the chairlift up. 

I love trees. I love powder. I really love trees and powder together.

A happy and ever-improving Rebeca. She Rocks!
Lunch, or the beer we drank with our lunch.
A hazy day mountain photo.
A cliff wall photo.

Great day. Good company. Thanks Rebeca. Thanks Mama Hood.