Twilight & Roloff Farms

**I wrote this blog several weeks ago, but apparently I never posted it. Oops!**

This weekend, Deb and I headed to Portland to see some of the locations used for filming Twilight. Though the story takes place in Forks, Washington, many of the Forks scenes are actually filmed in St. Helens, Oregon. This little town was also used to film the Disney Channel movie, Halloweentown. I haven't seen it yet, but now I definitely want to after seeing a lot of the places shown in the movie. We took a self-guided tour of both movie locations, as well as the places around town believed to be haunted by ghosts.

Charlie and Bella's house was away from the road, up a hill and very out of the way. The people who live in this house have posted signs asking Twilight fans to stay back from the house. While I understand their desire for privacy, I think I would handle it much differently. I would quit my job and become a Twilight tour guide! You could pay a small fee and I would give you a tour of the inside and outside of my house, as well as walk through all the town's Twilight locations. I would take tourists pictures with cast cut-outs, tell stories about what it was like when they were filming, probably have a midnight Twilight reading when the full moon is out...you get the picture :)  I am sure many of you are judging me for my love of Twilight right now, but I'm really just thinking like a savvy entrepreneur!

It's interesting to me that many of the businesses they used to film were changed into a different location in the movie. A hair salon became a prom dress shop, an attorney's office became a bookstore, a house became a restaurant. This probably happens a lot in movies, but I have never really followed the trail of movie sets before :)
 
They did have an Experience Twilight store downtown that understands the tourist draw of the town. They are on the right path, but I just feel like there is so much more they could be doing!

 
Later that afternoon, we met Lynsey and Anna Kate at Roloff Farms and I got to check an item off my bucket list! I love the TLC show, Little People Big World, and was very excited to meet the Roloff family and see their farm. The whole family was incredibly friendly and down-to-earth and were so grateful that people would come visit their home.

We took a wagon tour of the farm and I was very excited we got Jeremy as our driver! I just wanted to have one of the Roloff's driving us and not some random crew person. I was kind of surprised at how close everything is on the farm. I thought it was much more spread out from watching the show, but you could easily walk to all of the attractions (pirate ship, cowboy town, castle, etc.)

It's crazy that the Roloff's are celebrities, because they really are just a normal family. It is probably very strange to have thousands of people taking your picture on the weekend and then study high school geometry and play volleyball on a Monday.

Matt's Dad, Jeremy, Matt's Mom, Molly and Me

It is a little sad that we aren't much taller than her...

This trip has made me want to watch/re-watch Twilight, Halloweentown and Little People Big World so I can see it with a new perspective and compare it with what I saw in real life. I plan to be home this next weekend and relax, so I think I'll do my follow-up research from the couch this Saturday :)

P.S.
There are many more pictures from this trip on my Facebook page
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2027585&id=160201160&l=3564f51386

Marathoning for Miracles

I finished a marathon! Well, sort of. I ran in a marathon relay race as the second leg (6 miles) and then our whole team crossed the finish line together, which was really cool!

Prior to the race, the farthest I had ever run was 4.5 miles. That was several weeks earlier and I only ran twice in the last 3 weeks before the race. The cold weather, rain and darkness of Oregon fall had completely destroyed my motivation.

The day before the race, Jacinda and I drove the entire course of the marathon, which initially intimidated us both, but turned out to be a great idea. The race took us out to the boonies and much of our time running was out on dirt roads south of Abilene where the cows and cactus reside. A few people took the wrong turn and did the wrong route, so we were happy we knew what turns to take because of mapping it out the previous day. (There were also arrows and signs and people to help direct, so it really does puzzle me as to how they got lost?)

Jenise ran the first leg of the relay which was 5 miles. Quick shout-out to Southwest Airlines, Jenise's employer and the friendly people who carried me to TX and back. If you are flying any other airline, you are wrong :) Jenise ran mostly through Abilene neighborhoods and down one very long dirt road.

She tagged off with me and sent me around the Abilene airport on a dirt/gravel road that was a little bit slippery (with all the little rocks) and a whole lot dusty (with cars driving past us at ridiculous speeds). My plan was to run 2 miles, stop at a water station and then walk for a couple minutes, before running 2 more miles and repeating the process. I ran the first 2 miles and didn't have a water station because I just passed 2 at the starting line and the 1 mile mark. So, I decided to keep going and stop at the water station around mile 3. When I arrived, I realized I wanted to try to run through while drinking the cup of water and throw it down when I was finished because it seemed like a hard core runner thing to do. So, I kept running past mile 3 and was still feeling really good! As in, I didn't even want to stop and wasn't really out of breath.

About mile 4 I realized, "Hey! I could run this whole thing!" So I decided to just keep going since I'd already made it that far. The last mile was difficult because I was getting winded a strong wind picked up and was blowing in my face, but the perfect song came on and I picked up the pace while jamming to "Body Moving", quite possibly the best workout song EVER!

I have never said this about running before, but it was really fun! The flat roads of Texas were awesome after running on hills in Oregon. I think that is why I was able to run so much farther than I expected--I didn't realize just how much a difference it would make to be on level ground.

Jacinda and Jenise's cousin were supposed to run with us, but she had sick babies and wasn't able to make it. Luckily, Jacob (Evan has running connections in Abilene--we don't know him at all) was able to step in at the last minute. He is a marathoner, so 8 miles was no big deal for him at all.


Jacob, Jacinda, me and Jenise

We definitely didn't win the relay, but we also didn't get last, so we were pretty happy with being right in the middle!

Texas Weekend

This past weekend I went to Abilene, TX to run in a marathon relay race and see some of my college friends. It was so much fun! Even the running was fun, which is something I have never said before! More on the race in my next blog...

I read Diary of a Wimpy Kid while in Texas and really enjoyed it! There were multiple times that I laughed out loud while reading it. I saw on the inside cover that there are several other books in the series, so I plan to read those and see the movie soon.

Thanksgiving is this month and I am so excited for it! Partly because I will get to go home for the holiday and partly because it is my favorite holiday all year! Only 13 days of work left and then I get to fly to NM/TX. I actually just looked at a calendar and realized I get a 4 day work week this week and next-yay!!

My last day in Lubbock I woke up 15 minutes before we had to leave, didn't shower, had no makeup on, threw on a T-shirt and jeans and headed out the door...felt just like I was back in college! :) I realized recently that people in the South dress up way more than people in Oregon.

It is funny to watch people on a plane when it lands. Some people have that phone out and ready to turn on the millisecond the wheels make contact with the ground. I have even witnessed some who have their finger on the button, as if they have no time to spare to get back in touch with the world!

Rock Climbing

                               

For Kory's 25th birthday, we went to Smith Rock State Park near Bend, Oregon and went rock climbing! It was a lot of fun, although quite scary for me.

Kory on my favorite route of the day--about 85 ft tall.

It was pretty terrifying, but I still had a great time!

A professional climber from France that we got to watch--incredible!



We camped the night before so no showers + helmets all day = greasy nasty hair, but the view is still pretty!

Mom and Dad came to Oregon!

So this is little late, but my parents came to see me in Oregon in August. We had a wonderful time! I wanted them to see the coolest places around here (in my opinion) so we did a lot of driving. It was pretty exhausting, but we saw some incredible sights!

Friday we drove to Crater Lake, which was my first time there. It's one of the most beautiful sights I've ever seen! Such incredibly blue water...but wow it is freezing!

Our first view of the water

The man can be a brat, but I love him! :)

Dad hung out on this bench while Mom and I hiked down to the water

The water was just such an incredible color of blue...never seen anything like it

Saturday was my mom's birthday and we spent the day in Newport on the coast. It was pretty chilly, but I've grown accustomed to layering up when I visit the coast, any time of the year.

At the pier in Newport where we watched a lady with a huge knife go crazy on some fish

Kory preached on Sunday morning, so we went to church and then had a very relaxed rest of the day. My parents taught me the value of Sunday afternoon naps, so we enjoyed those after lunch. I went running and then joined my parents on a tour of Myrtle Creek that evening. We drove around to the covered bridges and pretty locations all around this area.

Monday we headed south to California for a trip to the beach and the Redwoods. We did all the touristy things like driving through a tree, which of course is a slight disappointment, but makes for great pictures. It was my parents first time to see the ocean so we made sure Mom got to put her feet in the Pacific. The Oregon coast is beautiful, but it's not really the place to get in the water. Just south of Crescent City we found a beach with warm sand and cool water and it felt great to put our feet in and play for a bit.

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The water felt so nice that day!

I could ALMOST reach all the way across the opening of the tree

Cheesy tourist attraction, but we loved it!

So stinking tall!

This was one of the really fat ones...we didn't even get the whole trunk in the picture

It's always fun having visitors and getting to show them around this incredible place I get to call home!

Rachel's Trip to Oregon

I had such a great time with Rachel this past week! Here are some pictures of our trips to the coast (Bandon, OR) and to Portland for the weekend.

I really love this picture of Rachel and baby Beckham in her belly :)

It was really foggy on the beach, but it was still fun to play in the water and the sand.

Saturday Market is one of the best things--so much to see and eat and do!

Waiting for the MAX for one hour...ugh. Poor 7 months pregnant Rachel--not a great situation.

We got this picture taken in Powell's...notice our names on the marquee board. It's not a very good picture of either one of us, but at least we got cool books!

Many more pictures can be found on my Facebook page.

AND now on to some other random thoughts...

Kory and I watched the Dark Knight last night. I really love that movie! When the movie first came out, there were several people who told me that this was my dopple-danger. Any thoughts? It's always hard to tell if someone looks like yourself, I think. I guess I can see a little resemblance...

My parents will arrive on Thursday and I'm very ready for them to be here! We'll be making lots of fun trips to the coast, the Redwoods, Crater Lake, South Umpqua waterfalls and hopefully there will be some time at the river in there also. It's supposed to cool down quite a bit the end of this week, so hopefully they'll get to experience some beautiful Oregon weather.

It has been brought to my attention that a few people I know have been in Oregon recently and not called me. This practice is unacceptable!! :) For reals though, if you're anywhere near me, please let me know. I'm willing to make a trip and go out of my way to see friends/family if at all possible.

Running is still going really well. I'm currently going 2.5 miles...and as I type that, I have a hard time believing I can really run that far. Granted, some parts of the run are at a snail's pace and I'm barely moving my feet going up those hills, but I am moving and that is the important part!

I have a picture in my cubicle of Rynn, Kecia, Sara and I eating in Rosa's right before I left to move to Oregon. That picture is awesome, but it has some food/drink on the table, and it taunts me every time I look at it. As we speak, I am craving some Rosa's more than life itself. Oh I want it so badly! I know there is one in California, and some times I consider driving the 8 hours or whatever it is to taste that queso.

Friends, Fall and Fatties

Rachel will be in Myrtle Creek this evening and I'm VERY excited to see her!! I will take off work Friday so we can spend the day on the coast and then we'll head to Portland for the weekend.

It's starting to get dark earlier at night and I know that Fall will be here before I know it. I'm actually pretty excited for Fall weather and football and rain and cool temperatures, but this was SUCH a short summer. It rained until the middle of June, so it feels like summer just barely started and now it's already going to be over soon.

I was telling one of my co-workers about my running plans and she said, "Oh great! If you're running that much you're going to get skinny!" So you're saying I'm currently NOT skinny? Hmm...she's obviously trying to give me a complex.

Brynn made an excellent comment about my last post. I think she is absolutely right that God is present in the details and that it takes lots of little moments to add up to a big moment in life. I think God cares about the details of my life, but I think God is working for His for the good of man and for His glory. I don't think God's concern for the details includes my selfish/materialistic wants and needs. If I pray that I'll win my basketball game and the other team prays they will win, then who does God side with? I think God can certainly give and take away health, injury, talent and many other things that would affect the outcome of the game, but I don't think God is going to move the ball in or out of the hoop based on my prayers/wishes. I think we've made God out to be a genie in a bottle where I can wish/pray for anything I want and He'll give it to me.
I believe God has given us free will and that He allows us to make choices. Certainly He is involved in our life and He cares about the little choices I make each day. Those little choices I make are what determines my character and makes me the person I am today. So, Brynn, I hope I understand what you were saying and if I do, then I absolutely agree with you! I should have made myself more clear in that last post. You gave me a great reminder that God knows the number of hairs on my head and he dresses the lilies of the field. He is not a God too big for our little mundane human lives!

Vacation!

We spent several days in Washington this past week at Creation Fest for our summer vacay. It was really fun and relaxing, which was just what we needed.


Yes, that's Kory's gum hanging out of his mouth...

David Crowder is just AWESOME--I love him!

Switchfoot was INCREDIBLE! They definitely put on the best show...I'm a big fan.

Thursday was a day that exemplifies my idea of vacation. We slept until about 8:45, got up and ate breakfast and were back in the tent napping by 10 :) After napping for a couple hours, we ate a picnic lunch and headed into a nearby town to spend the afternoon shopping at REI and Target. Heaven for each of us! We went back to camp that evening and I had a turkey leg for the first time. It was incredible! Wow, it was so yummy...I want another one right now! That night we saw Hillsong and Newsboys in concert. Newsboys was very nostalgic for us both and we loved hearing old songs from them and DC Talk.

Friday we spent a good portion of the day reading our books and enjoying 75 degree weather. We went to a youth leader seminar but I didn't really feel like it was worth my time. This guy is supposed to be one of the leading "experts" on youth ministry and I literally heard everything he said in my very first speech class as a freshman in college. So...maybe I am an expert too! Friday's concerts included KJ52, Matthew West, Thousand Foot Krutch and Toby Mac. Quite an excellent day of music! Toby Mac was very high energy and goofy. I definitely had the most fun at his show.

Beautiful view of Mt. Rainier from our tent

Sunday, after we got home, I spent pretty much ALL day watching Veronica Mars. I'm totally hooked on this show now! There are 6 discs in the first season and I finished 4 of them on Sunday :) I really love Kristen Bell and I can't believe I've never heard of this show. It's a real gem!

One of our youth group girls gave me The Shack a couple weeks ago and I started reading it while we were camping. I really like it but was quite confused because the entire foreword explains how it's a true story and then about half-way through reading it, I talked to Kory about it and found out it was a fiction book. I am sure the cover of the book probably tells you that, but this copy of the book was partially eaten by her dog, so the front cover is almost all gone and some of the pages are a bit gnawed on...so I didn't realize this was all made up. After reading the first half of it under the impression that it was a true account, I had a hard time finishing the book. I still like it, but I have to allow some time for my mind to adjust to this fiction story before I finish it. I think I only have about 50 more pages at this point, so I'm pretty close to the end now.

I am on Week 5 of my running program and still going strong so that is encouraging! It's certainly challenging and I never feel like it's too easy, but I always feel like I am making progress and want to keep going. I just got the paperwork to sign up for my first 5K which is scheduled for Saturday, September 11. That's only 6 1/2 weeks away and it seems pretty daunting at the time, but I will continue to take it one day at a time.

And now we're back to the routine of every day life! Church health team meeting Monday night, youth group Wednesday night, followed by a meeting with a financial advisor, small group Thursday night, Myrtle Creek Summer Festival this weekend and trying to fit in a full-time job somewhere in between :)

I was born for SUMMER!

Here are some pictures from our recent kayaking trip. We had SO much fun! I love it and want to go every day now!

It was gorgeous that day and we just drove down the road and saw a spot to pull over and got in the river.

Kory's a lot better than I am at steering the kayaks...I was all over the place.

This is a good arm and ab workout for sure!

I LOVE my Chacos and am so glad to have them this summer.

Also, I have wonderful friends and family. Thanks so much for your encouragement after my last post about feeling lonely. I feel much better now and God really used you guys to encourage me!

June Pictures

Here are some pictures from the past several weeks. I am too lazy to rearrange them so they are in random order.

Multnomah Falls just outside Portland

High School Graduations for Youth Group Members