Thanksgiving 2009: The Oregon Coast

Pacific Ocean just south of Cannon Beach, OR

Whale skeleton at Long Beach, WA

Steve and I at a light house in Ilwaco, WA

Steve and I at Cannon Beach, OR

Haystack Rock, Cannon Beach, OR

Steve and I at Haystack Rock, Cannon Beach, OR

Steve and I headed to Seaside, OR for the holiday. It was a very nice and quiet vacation. I think we were due for a little adventure!

Happenings of Summer/Fall

Puget Sound from Marine View Dr., Everett, WA

The stunning Olympic Mountains through a break in the clouds

View of Puget Sound in Everett

The big tree slab

Downtown La Conner

Sunflowers while heading into La Conner

Dana and Tim preparing for Skee Ball!

Steve and I in Ballard

Dana and I in Ballard playin' Skee ball!

Well, I've been crazy busy at work and trying to enjoy the most out of my weekends. Thought I'd share some pics from the past few months. I'm ready for time off at the holidays for sure!

Sailing to Sucia Island

Yet another awesome summer adventure to the high seas; sailing to Sucia Island (pronounced "susha", not the Spanish "sucia" Andy!) part of hte San Juan Islands in the Puget Sound. My friend Liz's parents own a 32 ft sailboat and were gracious enough to let myself, Steve, and my other co-worker Rick and his wife Sarah join them on an overnight trip. It was more than I imagined it would be! We all went for a small hike on the island and enjoyed a gorgeous sunset while eating salmon and steak for dinner! This was a trip I'll never forget!

Summer Fun

AQUAFEST in Lake Stevens, WA

The rest of the pics are from my boss's wedding held in the mountains at Steven's Pass, WA where there was thunder lightning and beautiful mountain sights!

Liz and Tina (co-workers)

Zach (co-worker) and his wife Stephanie and their unborn daughter

Steve and I

Chris and Liz (Co-workers)

Katie (Co-worker) and her husband Todd

The newlyweds! Sean and Betsy!

Meet the Dryden Family

It's been an exhausting few weeks at work, really busy and I haven't had any time off since March to just relax. So, for the 4th of July, Steve and I drove to his family cabin to enjoy the outdoors and for me to finally meet some of his family! (of course, he still hasn't met any of mine...this is a hint to you all to come visit me!!!!) We all had a fantastic time hanging out in the woods! The mosquitoes were fierce, but nothing 5 coats of the superman bug spray couldn't handle. Steve showed me around his old stomping grounds in Spokane before we headed north to the cabin. The Dryden family cabin had an original character about it that made it feel quite comfortable, knowing all the hard work that went into constructing it over the years. I was a bit nervous meeting his family, but they were all very welcoming. They taught me how to shoot a few types of guns... (don't worry mom and dad, I didn't hurt myself :) ) I shot a couple of rifles and handguns. Kind of unnerving intially, but I felt like a somewhat knew what I was doing by the end. Other than that, we went for a nice flat hike, a rugged, steep terrain hike (which was worth all the pain I had in my legs for 4 days afterward because the view at the top was spectacular), and we all jumped (I more or less waded) into the freezing glacier water that is the pond by the cabin. It was really great to meet some of the family! Now it's his turn!