Photo Friday

Every Friday, I will post a picture from our life.  Enjoy!!

Celebrating my sister's 30th birthday, Orlando, Florida, March 2010

We took a "spring" break from the cold, snowy frozen land of Korea and went to Florida for two weeks.  During our visit, Ronnie and I ran the River Run, visited with our friends and family, and celebrated my little sister turning 30.  

Rainier National Park

After a week of solid sunshine, I think it's safe to say that summer has arrived in the PNW.  Sunshine and bright blue skies!!! 

Right off our front porch is one of the most beautiful sights you can see in these parts, Mount Rainier.  But seeing as we had the Olivers in town, the front porch wasn't quite close enough.  After the Fourth, we took off for a round the mountain day trip. 

Our first stop: Suntop Lookout.  This is a beautiful area just to the north of Mount Rainier and is one of many fire lookouts in the national forest.  While there, we talked with the people who were staying in the lookout who gave us a tour and a small history lesson.  Turns out the fire lookouts in the area pulled double-duty during WWII as an aircraft warning tower.  We also found out that we can camp there (hmmm....).  Beautiful views and wildflowers were all around the area and our first big view of the mountain. 

Next up, we headed for Crystal Mountain.  The gondola runs during the summer and the Summit House was beckoning us for lunch.  Again, blue skies, sunshine, and some of the best views greeted us.  And a little bit of snow....  So much fun to play in it in July.
 

After filling our bellies with food and a small snowball fight, we hopped back in the car to continue 'round the mountain.  We drove through/by the Grove of the Patriarchs, Box Canyon, and Martha Falls in order to get to our next stop: Reflection Lake. 

This lake is the "typical" Mount Rainier picture -- the one with the mountain in the distance and a perfect mirror reflection in the water below.  On our visit, the snow hadn't quite melted all the way, but it was still a sight to see. 

After playing in the snow some more, it was time to really go look at some waterfalls. 

Narada Falls was up first.  The hike to the bottom was a little steep and slippery, so Shirley stayed with the girls at the top.  Boy did they miss out! 

 

Grammy and her girls

 

 Narada Falls, Ronnie and Robert, & the view from the top of the falls.

One of our last stops on the tour was Christine Falls.  Like I could really pass up an opportunity to see a waterfall sporting my moniker.  Of course, it didn't disappoint. 

On the way home, we swung through and checked out the campsites...  Just for future reference.

Bang Up Fourth!

Hurray for the Fourth of July!  It's been a bit since we've celebrated in the states, so we were really looking forward to our celebration this year.  That and the Olivers get here today to spend a few weeks with us.  To kick off their visit, Ronnie and Robert headed down to the Nisqually Indian Reservation to get the good stuff.   We invited our neighbors over and started the fireworks show in the driveway. 

Of course, it wouldn't be any fun if we didn't play with sparklers.  I taught Holly how to twirl it so I can get a picture of the swirls.  Fun huh?  Of course, Ronnie had to get in on that fun too. 

When it was all said and done, this was the frag left in our driveway....  If it looks like we had a good time, we did :)

Photo Friday

** Every Friday, I will post a picture from our life.  Enjoy!! **

Sarah's first black eye, Wichita Falls, TX, April 2008

Nothing like getting your first shiner from your own sister.  All Sarah wanted to do was swing.  Unfortunately, she learned the hard way how to NOT approach the swingset when someone is swinging.

52-Week Challenge: Week 26

This week's challenge is another food/diet related topic:  Eat more seafood.  The specific change is to eat two servings per week of 3 to 3 1/2 ounces of seafood.  If you love seafood, like we do in our house, this will be a welcome challenge to indulge.  However, if you don't like seafood then it will reuire some work.  Besides being an excellent source of protein, fish is high in critical fatty accids and rich in vitamins and minerals.  The author also included this fun fact:

"Did you know that studies involoving hundreds of thousands of participants indicate that eating approximately one to two 3-ounce servings of fatty fish a week reduces the risk of death from heart disease by 36 percent?" 

Yep - Excellent stat.  So let's talk about the types of seafood we should be eating and ones to avoid. 

First things first: What seafood is "safe" to eat?  Techically, this should say all.  However, we haven't been good stewards of our environment and there are some species of fish and shellfish that have absorbed high levels of mercury and PCBs.  And yes, that's a bad thing.  What can you do about this...  well, the EPA and FDA have advisories about fish in general as well as specific information for fish in your area.  I included a link below for you.

The next thing to consider is sustainability.  The sad thing is many species are being overfished and therefore are in danger. Luckily for us, Monterray Bay Aquarium has implemented a program called Seafood Watch.  Lots of information on sustainable seafood choices, current threats, and yummy recipes.  I've included a link about that as well.

So there you go, eat more fish/seafood and enjoy!  I know I will be enjoying this "twist" of my arm. 

Other Resources:
Mercury in seafood: http://www.epa.gov/hg/advisories.htm

Seafood Watch: http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/seafoodwatch.aspx

The book we're following: http://www.amazon.com/52-Small-Cha"nges-Healthier-ebook/dp/B0056J4ER0/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1325722556&sr=1-1

Jenn's blog: http://thewoogies.blogspot.com/search/label/52%20Small%20Changes

Photo Friday

** Every Friday, I will post a picture from our life. Enjoy!**

Giving Boon Pak a bath, Patara Elephant Farm, Chiang Mai, Thailand, April 2011

The First Harvest (of sorts)

We have successfully grown a strawberry! 

Yep, that tiny little bugger was just itchin' to get picked by my resident strawberry eater. Unfortunately, the strawberry crop is going to be small this year.  But that's okay, we sure will enjoy what we get.