Bike Riding

There is nothing better than the feeling of riding a bike all by yourself for the first time! It all clicked for Brooke this August at the Schmidt Family Camping Trip. You should see her go!

Summer Fun

The summer of 2009 just flew by! Here are a few photos of fun times.

Brooke and Ryan camp out

Fishing with JD in Sequi

Bonney Lake Days

More T-ball

Hiking near Mt. Baker with Grandma Mary and Grandpa Bob

Race cars in Birch Bay with Dad...

...and Grandpa Bob!

Depoe Bay Trip

We met Grandma Mary and Grandpa Bob in Depoe Bay, Oregon. The cool temps were a nice change from the heat we have been experiencing. Here are some highlights of the trip:

Mary and Bob playing along with one of Brooke's games

A visit to the the Aquarium at Depoe Bay

Our deep sea diver.

Coho caught by Grandpa and Dad

Golfing at Agate Beach Gplf Course

Go "Gram-Mary"!

Go Brooke!

Not bad for her 2nd time on a course

Amity Winery puts Brooke to work!

Which caption do I use here?

1. Are they really asking her to handle full bottles of wine?

2. Please DO NOT drop them!

3. Raising her right!

July Fun

Brooke and Avery at T-ball

Brooke, Ryan and Harriet the porch pet... a frog

106 degrees out! Why not tent in the front room?

Olivia, Brooke and Grace with their little ones!

Saltwater State Park

It was a fun day at the beach with the Seversons and Armstrongs. We had a picnic, looked for creatures and ran around. It was cool weather but the kids didn't mind. Lori Armstrong saved the day with a Starbucks run to warm up the adults. The kids crashed on the way home (except Jack) which means another successful summer day!

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Sad news

Today we learned that a relative has died. David Mueller, age 19, was a star sprinter at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. His coach said he was "without a doubt the best sprinter UCCS has ever seen" and compared him to Steven Prefontaine who also died of a tragic car accident too early in life. We were lucky to know David. He was more than an athlete. He had a gentle way about him, was a hard worker and such an honorable person. He will be missed!

I did it!

So I've been training for the STP (Seattle to Portland) Bike Race and I'm relieved to say I did it!

The bad news:

I never became friends with my bike seat, or any seat for that matter. This made training zero fun! Wasn't sure I wanted to do the race because of this.

The good news:

I found a funky seat that halfway works and I decided I would just go as far as I could. It also seemed less daunting if I left from my house rather than Seattle! So I road 170 or so miles instead of 202... that is okay with me. I completed the first ever BTP (Bonney Lake to Portland) Bike Race and proud to say I did it in one day! My butt still hurts but it feels like an accomplishment.

Special thanks:

To Bob and Brooke who supported me nearly 14 hours by being a phone call away if I needed food, water, help with a flat, a little leg rub or a seat swap!

(And by the way, happy anniversary, Bob. I'm sure this is how you pictured spending our 17th anniversary together!)

departure 5:15 am

Ready for a seat swap in Lexington

Done!