What we've been up to lately...

Camping: We took Aiden on his first camping trip.  We camped at the beach and Aiden loved it.  He wanted to sleep in the tent another night.  Next time, we'll definitely stay more than one night.  We spent a lot of time at the beach and even went to Ecola State Park to the spot where I proposed last year. 

Coloring in the tent

Hiking: We went hiking with some friends from our new ward.  We hit several waterfalls and lookouts on the Historic Columbia River Highway and then had a BBQ at their place.  We had a great time.  The Salmon and slow cooked ribs were fantastic!  We played a game of Hit or Miss and somehow I won even though they challenged my answer for things that can be found in a dessert... I said Hippies.  I guess they haven't heard of Burning Man. 

View from Crown Point

Little rock climber

Aiden and the Terrazas fishing

School: Aiden had his frist day of Kindergarten.  He was a little nervous but came home the first day saying he had fun and already made a new friend.  He rode the bus home and now wants to ride the bus both ways to and from school. 

Lego Start Wars Backpack

He really wanted to pose in front of this truck

Walking into school on the first day

Mrs. Miller's classroom

Soccer: Aiden is on a soccer team this fall with my nephew Byron.  They love being on a team together.  My brother-in-law Chris is the coach and I'm the assistant coach.  Chris and I went to a coaching workshop this week and one of the other U6 coaches said coaching kids at this level is like herding kittens.  The kids have fun playing little games like Sharks and Minnows and I feel like a superstar when I'm playing with them.  Of course I let them win.... most of the time. :)

4th of July!

This year, the 4th was a very busy day!  We first went to a parade in Corbett.  They have all kinds of classic cars the drive down the parade route and they throw candy to the kids watching the parade.  They also had horses, fire engines, ATV's, a couple of clowns, "floats" etc.  It was a fun little parade and everyone was very friendly.  Aiden got a lot of candy.  It was like Halloween but they bring the candy to you.

After the parade and a lunch stop, we headed to Punch Bowl Falls for a hike.  The weather was great and the scenery was amazing.  It was a great spot for a warm summer day.  The water looked inviting for a swim but it was sooo cold!  I couldn't believe some people were swimming in it anyway.

Aiden was a trooper and he hiked all the way there on his own.  On the way back he was exhausted.  He made it part of the way back but we ended up taking turns carrying him.  He was nodding off and he ended up falling asleep riding on my shoulders. 

After the hike, we headed to my Sister's house for a BBQ and fireworks.  My Grandpa Taylor, Aunt Marta, and Uncle Jay were in town for the wedding.  Aiden was less scared of fireworks this year.  He had fun with Pop-its and Sparklers.  But when the loud fireworks came out, he was done. 

I didn't take many pictures and most of the pictures I took are on my camera.  No internet at the new place yet so the one above and these below are from my cell phone.

On a walk in Troutdale





Andrea and Her Sister Kelly



Don’t Leave Me Summer!

(I'm talking about the season in case there was any question)

I’ve had a blast this summer and Labor Day weekend was no exception.


Saturday morning, Andrea and I ran 9 miles along the Columbia River. Part of our training for the half marathon we are running this month.

Frog Lake

Then we headed up to check out Frog Lake. We heard that this time of year you can see lots of frogs. It felt cold there since we were all wearing shorts. We didn’t see any frogs but someone there at the lake said you see them more in the evening. We ate lunch next to the lake and some aggressive birds were getting anything we dropped or weren’t watching. One bird got on the table and then flew right at Andrea and tried to seal her sandwich! We ate somewhat quickly and decided to check out another lake.

Trying to warm up at Frog Lake

We went to Trillium Lake and as we were paying the day use fee, a guy was asking around for a band aid. I usually carry a first aid kit because I’ve been clumsy once or twice and cut myself, so I offered to help. The guy had cut himself with a fillet knife. It was deep enough that a Band-Aid wasn’t going to do much. Some gauze and some tape to wrap it up and he was good to go.

Trillium Lake

 Trillium Lake was beautiful. It was a little cloudy so I couldn’t get the full view of Mt Hood over the lake but it was still nice. We hung out by the lake and watched people fish.

Sunday Andrea’s family from the area got together at the Ridings because Bri and Todd were in town. The food was amazing. Andrea and I were asked to tell how we met and the engagement story after dinner.

View of Crown Point from the Women's Forum

Along the Historic Highway in the Columbia Gorge, there are lots of waterfalls. Since Bri and Todd were in town, we went hiking to several beautiful waterfalls. We saw Latourell, Bridal Veil, Multnomah, Horsetail, and finished off the day with lunch and a hike to Wahclella Falls. We had nice weather and beautiful views.  What a great part of the country we live in!

Bridal Veil

Wahclella Falls

The next day… it rained. I’m not ready for summer to be over.

Utah Rocks!

(Literally, there are rocks there.... )

Last week I got back from a trip to Utah. It had been probably 12 years since I have been there to visit. We flew into Salt Lake and then rented a 2010 Chrysler 300 to drive down to Southern Utah. We went to a Riding Family reunion in Panguitch Lake. We stayed in a cabin and hung out on a ranch owned by Andrea’s Aunt and Uncle. We hiked, visited, ate good food, and played with kids.

Andrea drinking from the spring at the Ranch

We got to check out Bryce Canyon with everyone from the reunion. The views were amazing! We went to several look out points, did a little hiking and had lunch. As we were eating lunch, a lightning and thunderstorm rolled in. We finished eating in the cars and some of us waited it out while others headed back to the ranch. After about half an hour, we were back to walking around and seeing the amazing viewpoints.

Kelly, Terese, Scott, Andrea, Stephanie, Jay, Aiden, Paul

Aiden's Antlers

Jazzercise

Nicole, Jay, Kelly, Andrea, Scott, Stephanie

Ok, Story behind this amazing picture... The rainstorm had just passed so there was this huge puddle on the top of this lookout point.  To be able to get the best view you had to inch along the base of the fence.  Someone thought it would make a great picture so here we are.  Toe to toe.

Jay the daredevil sat on the edge of the fence.  It freaked me out just looking at him since we're at the top of a cliff.  His mom saw him up there and yelled "Jason Riding you get down from there right now!"  She wasn't playing around.  The intensity in her voice scared us all.  Jay stayed there for a good 10 seconds just shocked before getting down.

At Andrea’s Aunt Denise’s place we had an impromptu talent show. There was silliness, laughter, and an all around good time.

We visited Temple Square and I even got a private tour of the Conference Center.

We swam and hung out a lot in Denise’s pool. Even went for a midnight swim one night.

(Not Really thier pool)

I went to lunch with a friend from my mission. I hadn’t seen Aaron Freeman since 2003. We had a good time talking about the mission and catching up.

We drove up into the canyon and hiked at Silver Lake on our last full day in Salt Lake.  It was beautiful.

(Really Silver Lake)

Oregon Rocks!

I've been busy lately taking advantage of the beautiful area I live in. 

Running - I've been slacking a little lately but I'm starting up my training schedule again next week to get ready for the Newport Half in September.

Rock Climbing at Broughton Bluff - Great climbing and so close to Portland. 

(Yes that's me)

Hanging out at Blue Lake - Good times had by all.

The Oregon Zoo

(Not me)

Hiking at Latourell Falls - Great hike!  Aiden made it most of the way on his own.  There was so much green.

Bike Riding along the Columbia River - I haven't been on a bike much the last few years but I survived a nice 10 mile ride along the Columbia. 

SO much fun stuff to do here.  I've got the sore muscles and mosquito bites to prove it.  Anyone else think the mosquitoes are intense this year?

Besides the outdoorsy stuff, I saw the Broadway Across America production of The Lion King with Andrea and some friends.  It was awesome!