Mt. Saint Helens

Mud flats in the valley below the volcano...

Mom and Katelyn with the very angry wife of Mt. Hood...

Garrett "looking cool"...

Last Beach Photo

Beach Photos- Little Creek Cove

Mom and Dad at the beach...

Katelyn and Steve roasting hotdogs...

Garrett eating Doritos on a "log" sticking out of a dune...

Apparently I failed to take any beachy photos of myself...although I'm sure Mom took plenty.

Yaquina Head

Yaquina Head lighthouse...

Steve on a rock...Katelyn and Garrett deciding to join him.

A Harbor seal...

Beaching/Sandcastles

Garrett being a little silly while digging a hole...

Katelyn blowing bubbles...that was a fun photo to take!

Steve digging a trench...

More Crabbing Photos

Garrett and Dad wondering whether or not they can get all the cooked crabs cleaned in record time.

Steve taking care of the crabs in the boat...they didn't really fit well in the box we were given...

Cooked crabs in the giant sink.

The Great Crab Slaughter of 2006

Steve with two of the larger crabs...we had at least three that were 8 inches across.

Garrett and Grandpa Jerry with a couple of the prize crabs.

Garrett "threatening" Katelyn with more crabs...

We rented a boat, three pots, and three mink carcasses (bait) for three hours in Newport Bay. Due to my pregnant state, I was told it would be better for me to stay on the dock with Mom and Grandma and not risk the potential nausea on the boat. Sad. However, after Grandpa called Dad from the bay and said they had 8 crabs in about an hour that were legal or even bigger, I convinced Dad I absolutely wouldn't puke (I've never been motion sick in my life!) and couldn't possibly miss out on my favorite beach activity, he let me switch places with Grandpa. I enjoyed the time in the boat despite my lack of shellfish license and inability (legally) to help with the pots or even touch the crabs while on the boat. With a total of 16 crabs (in July!!!) we came in a little early and let Mom and Dad have a "spin" around the bay.

More Crustacean Invasion Photos

Garret, Steve, and I being a little "crabby".

Steve in a bubble in one of the undersea exhibits.

Me with a giant cartoon shrimp.

Oregon Coast Aquarium

Just some silly photos from the aquarium...Garrett with a giant squid...Steve with a full-size painting of the world's largest crab (found in Japan)...the three of us dancing like crustaceans...addicting music and goofy little dance!

Back in Provo

Highlights of the trip:

1. Crabbing in Newport Bay
2. Tidepools early in the morning
3. Mt. Saint Helens
4. Flying kites
5. Lots of seafood for lunch and dinner- pancakes and fish & chips, good combo
6. Oregon Coast Aquarium
7. Fireworks on the beach- not always legal...
8. Being at the farm- first time in nearly 3 years
9. "Giant Sumo Baby" song
10. Finally looking pregnant enough that strangers notice...not as excited as I thought I would be...

Pre-Trip Things to Do

1. Clean out the fridge.
2. Make sure trash gets taken out.
3. Do laundry.
4. Pack!!!
5. NOT forget the sunscreen.
6. Rig some sort of plant-watering device...
7. Make sure we have all the batteries we need for CD players, cameras, etc.
8. Report visiting teaching status (ie. I did my teaching, but wasn't taught...)
9. Take plastic bags to RS service project tonight!
10. Wake up early enough to get Steve to the lab before driving to SLC.

Happy Birthday, Me!

Nothing to say at the moment...it's my 24th birthday and I don't feel any older. Gee, go figure! Looking forward to the best birthday present- a week on the Oregon Coast!!! Three days until we leave...yahoo!

DMV and AAA Update

I received my driver's license in the mail today...that should relieve some anxiety. Still haven't figured out what happened to the check that was sent from AAA Oregon to AAA California...supposedly it was sent to the Utah branch...but Utah has no idea where it is or why my membership wasn't ever officially set up. Argh.

14 de juillet

I nearly forgot...Happy Bastille Day!!!

It's a Boy

Smile. I'm very excited to be having a little boy soon...well, relatively soon. :) Only 19 weeks to go!

On Hold

I think I've been put on hold for at least an hour today...not all at once...but it's enough. The AAA announcements that are played while someone is on hold are not that useful. Neither are the DMV announcements. As you can see, I'm still trying to figure out if I'm allowed to use my "temporary operator's permit" as proper/legal government-issued ID when we fly next week. I'm also making heroic attempts to transfer my Christmas gift-membership from AAA Oregon/Idaho to AAA Utah. Not so easy...at least not as easy as the AAA representative thought it would be. Apparently the forms my father filled out in Oregon in December were sent to Utah in January...at which point I was supposed to receive an official membership card from AAA Utah. However, AAA Utah cannot find me in their system...and my temporary ID number doesn't come up with anything at all...not even something stating the original application was sent from AAA Oregon/Idaho. So, now I wait patiently as the two states talk to each other to find out what went wrong and where...as of this point, I have no real membership and my father's check is not accounted for. (Lost in the mail...they say it's unlikely...) Oh! Also, according to the Orem office, my temporary card should last an entire year...but mine says only through 04/06. Something's fishy...

France vs. Italy

Pauvre France! Congrats to the Italians...

DMV

Why exactly does the Utah Drivers Licensing office give you a piece of paper as a "temporary operator's permit" rather than an actual plastic license? And why do they say it takes up to 6 months to get the actual license? I filled out ALL the paperwork (twice!) and passed the written test. Hopefully it won't take 6 months...I'll need it for I.D. when we fly to Oregon on the 20th. I suppose I'll have to call them and put on the pressure.

Happy 4th!

Just thought I'd recognize the date. Hope everyone celebrates safely. And no starting fires in your yards with ground blooms...or bonfires.

A Not So Quiet Evening

Saturday night was insane. We planned for a quiet evening and ended up having a most interesting evening.
Sara and Rob stopped by to leave us a key to their apartment so we could feed the ferrets while they're gone. We were all talking outside and the fighter jets flew over to begin the weekend festivities. Wow. It was so loud!!! I guess we should have expected it...it happens every year. Our 60 year old neighbor came out to see what was going on and we ended up getting to know her a bit.
We then watched the parachuters jump out of their plane into the stadium. Very cool. (We can see so much from our apartment!) Just after the parachuters, our neighbor down the hall (moved in a couple months ago- we don't know them too well...not even names!) came out with his stop watch and asked for a ride to the ER. His wife was in labor a month early and they didn't want to wait any longer for her father to get there with his car. So, Steve took them (and the grandmother) to the ER. Well, because of the festivities all the roads around the ER entrance were blocked off so people wouldn't park there. They had a policeman escort them through to the ER!
Later that night...while we were all on the balcony upstairs waiting for the fireworks to start, there was a fight in the parking lot and the police were called. It was quite the night.