The Piehls

Vote for Hannah

2011-11-01T08:39:00.000-07:00

Update: Hannah won 1st place. She had 176 votes of the 5oo+. She won $50, and of that $40 went in her savings, and the other $10, she got to spend it on whatever she wanted. Here is a short clip of the toy she chose.

This year we entered Hannah in the Blue Mountain Eagle Newspaper Halloween Contest.

Take a moment to vote for our spooky ghost.

Jack-O-Lanterns

2011-10-30T10:32:00.000-07:00

Naomi helping Hannah carve a warty pumkin into a jack o lantern.

Hannah with her Jack o Lantern

Carving Mufasa from the lion king.

The finished products. The cow was carved to take to the FS, the middle is Hannah's, and then there is Mufasa.

Halloween

2011-10-29T23:09:00.000-07:00

Hannah's request this year for Halloween was for our family to be a ghost family. Well here we are in all our glory.

New Nap-Time Ritual?

2011-08-05T15:34:00.000-07:00

We are headed camping this evening, and to prepare for spending time in the tent, Hannah chose to take her nap in her indoor tent. Not sure if this will be a reoccurring theme or not. Time will tell. To be honest, I've been hoping and waiting for this moment.

Morel Mushroom Picking

2011-06-20T20:20:00.001-07:00

Well this year the Hannah's (Hannah Nadine & Hannah Rose), and I took up Morel picking. We gathered many large mushrooms, and I had high hopes of selling our pickings at the Farmers Market here in town, but to no avail. So instead we dried our treasures to save for future gourmet meals.

Hannah N. and a few of our goodies.

Hannah R. and one of her bags of goodies.

The mighty morel hunter on break.

This shot is actually taken by Hannah N. Not to shabby for a two year old, eh?

Hannah R. and the daddy of all morel mushrooms.

Happy Father's Day

2011-06-20T13:51:00.000-07:00

Father's Day was very mellow in the Piehl household. We began the day with omelets and smoothies, as requested by Daddy Piehl. After we finally got around to getting out of the house, we headed to the park, for a little kite flying adventure. Unfortunately the wind wasn't constatnt and Hannah was growing impatient with Mother Nature.

During the evening, after eating dinner, another request from the man of the house, Boboli mini pizza's, we headed to Clyde Holliday State Park for a walk. Our walk was cut short due to a flooded trail. But we didn't let that stop us, we just hopped in the car and drove around to the other entrance and walked around the bullfrog pond. Hannah enjoyed copying her father throw rocks at the bull frogs. Robbie vows next time to bring a net to catch the bullfrog polliwogs, which are huge by the way. I managed to get off a couple of cute photos while on our short adventure, not so far from home.

2011-06-08T14:12:00.001-07:00

First produce of the season. Hannah's strawberry plants, tiny but delicious.

2nd Birthday Bash

2011-04-01T12:57:00.000-07:00

Here is the start of some of the videos with Hannah opening the gifts you all sent to her. I'll be a adding more as time arises. Big thanks, she is a very lucky little girl to have you all in her life. (Any gifts that arrived on Hannah's actual birthday were opened with Daddy and Mommy, all others were opened at her party.)

Tyler Family

Papa & Nonna Sanders

Lerum Family

Grandma Connie

Annie, Part 1

2011-04-01T12:17:00.000-07:00

Hannah absolutely loves the movie Annie, and has recently taken to singing and dancing the with musical too.

Annie, Part 2

2011-04-01T08:44:00.000-07:00

Steelhead Fishing on the Clearwater

2011-03-22T20:25:00.001-07:00

My cousin Allen was home from Iraq and wanted to do some steelhead fishing so I met up with him and my dad in Orofino Idaho for the weekend. Turns out we kept 9 fish and caught numerous others. Well they caught numerous others, as I only caught one, but we had a great time. Here's a few photo's. Unfortunately we don't have a group shot with the 7 from the first day. Oh well.

Reading with Mommy

2011-03-16T21:07:00.000-07:00

One Woman Show

2011-03-16T21:01:00.000-07:00

Little Helper

2011-03-09T22:20:00.001-08:00

Speed Racer

2011-03-09T22:18:00.000-08:00

The Letter 'H'

2011-03-03T17:22:00.000-08:00

Barney's "I Love You"

2011-02-14T09:20:00.001-08:00

Hannah's Rendition of the ABC's

2011-02-14T09:03:00.000-08:00

2010 Caribou Hunt

2010-09-10T20:21:00.000-07:00

I was fortunate enough to make it up to Alaska for a caribou hunt while Naomi dealt with Hannah and her tests. We had a great time and excellent weather. Here's a few photo's of the trip.

The Ranger, loaded to the hilt, and headed for Coldfoot.

Marsh Fork of the Canning River, Bench Strip.

Our first camp site, next to The Bench landing strip. Complete with electric fence to ward off Kushtaka's.

Heres a photo of Mark. Across the river is the camp and the strip.

Finally, we saw some bulls and Mark shot the largest in the bunch. Then shot it again, and again, and well he didn't have a rest. However, it was a morale booster as we'd hunted for a few days and hadn't seen any bulls.

There are sheds and critter remains littered all over the hillsides, so I carried a few back to camp for a photo.

The water levels were getting low, so after Mark shot his bull we figured it was time to head on down the river. In this shot you can see Chad in the Pro Pioneer raft. Mark was well ahead of us in the Kayak.

Then on the 5th day Chad and I connected with a couple of nice bulls. Chad even hit 2 for 2 on his farthest shots ever.

So here's the raft loaded with most of the gear and caribou. The payload is 1500lbs, so technically it could hold more weight, but I don't know where it would have fit.

Here's a picture of Chad on the final float of the trip. We took out at Plunge Creek and got picked up 3 days early. It was a mixed blessing, but we were 51 miles from the Beaufort Sea and this time of year the weather can change in an instant.

Ain't Nothing Going to Stop Me!!!

2010-08-25T22:26:00.001-07:00

Today I took Hannah in for her Ambulatory EEG, and as you can plainly see, life went on as normal, plus two new toys. Have you ever seen anyone else pull this look off so beautifully?

Boise

2010-08-16T11:57:00.001-07:00

We had to go over to Boise to see Hannah's specialists, and decided to make a weekend out of it. Hannah got to enjoy the zoo and a park with real playground equipment. Oh yeah, and one of Hannah's new favorite objects, benches. Elmo was her special treat for all the doctor stuff.

She'll hate us when she's older...

2010-07-30T17:26:00.001-07:00

Hannah won't be to happy about this video when she's older. Oh well, isn't this what being a parent is all about, embarrassing footage to show future boyfriends?

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear

2010-07-30T17:17:00.000-07:00

Hannah is performing one of her new favorite songs, and wanted to share.

Garden Update - 1 Month Later

2010-07-28T21:15:00.000-07:00

We have officially had our garden for a month, and have harvested a ton of red leaf and romaine lettuce (mostly donated to the food bank in town), some radishes, and a couple of green bell peppers.

I've already begun making changes to the layout of the garden (you may be able to tell from the first set of photos posted). As I pulled the radishes, I replanted in their space cilantro, which bolted in this blast of hot summer weather. And where the cilantro used to sit, I planted more radishes. With the radishes this go around, I'll have to spray the leaves with soapy water, to help keep the pests away and ensure a more productive harvest. I also had an empty space in the lettuce plot, and decided to try my luck at spinach, and tonight I actually harvested enough to go in our scrambled eggs in the morning. Yummy! In my donation of romaine lettuce to the food bank, I replaced some of the romaine with some free butterhead seeds I had.

As the photo below shows, our spaghetti squash is going gang busters. A few are already measuring about 4 inches long. I had planted some cabbage and broccoli, but pulled the plants this week. The bugs had gotten the leaves pretty bad, and the plants themselves hadn't increased in size much. In talking with another gardener, she mentioned the season was getting a little late for their success. Oh well, we'll try again next season. The space isn't going to go to waste, did you see that spaghetti squash? Yikes.

Carrots, onions and leeks continue to do well, and seem to be enjoying all this magnificent heat. The kohlrabi I planted, to remind Robbie of his grandparents garden, hasn't fared as well. It to has a pest problem and will need to be sprayed with soapy water too. In the back corner of the photo is Robbie's garden, two Topsy Turvey planters. They hold a tomato and jalapeno pepper plant. After trying to keep them in our deer infested yard, he decided they need some protection. We hope that they will survive the browse they received and provide us with plenty of peppers to make jalapeno jam and tomatoes to eat right off the vine. Time will tell.

Our Summer Garden

2010-06-25T21:58:00.000-07:00

Our Garden is starting to look pretty good. We purchased two small plots from the John Day Community Garden: A Plot of Gold, for a very minimal price.

This photo shows that I've tried to squeeze a lot of produce into one small 5x10 plot. I've planted two bell pepper (green & purple) plants, a tomato plant, radishes, cilantro, Lettuce (red leaf & romaine), and am still waiting to see if my spinach will sprout.

This plot, also a 5x10, has carrots, kalyrabi, leeks, onions (red and candy, brocollii, cabbage, speghetti squash and cucumber. I've really never gardened before, so this summer is my garden experiment. I'm keeping a journal, so hopefully in the future I'll have more knowledge on what does or doesn't work here in John Day's short, hot growing season.

Hannah is a big helper, today she's watering the garden with me. However, usually she's just eating the dirt.

Pigtails or Devil Horns

2010-06-21T14:22:00.000-07:00

You be the judge...

Today I attempted and succeeded at getting the front of Hannah's hair into pigtails. She was very cooperative, only because she didn't know what I was doing. Once I showed herself in the mirror, I think she was wondering what Mom had done to her. Her hair is getting so long and in her face. We are trying to grow it out one length, so a major cut isn't an option, as of now.

I think she pulls the look off perfectly.

Walking Debut

2010-06-21T14:15:00.000-07:00

Well, it is official, Hannah has decided to start walking. It has taken her a long time to come this far, as her first steps were at the end of April, and now it is mid June. None the less, she had the ability since that April day, but for some unknown reason to us, or the rest of the world, she decided to hold off until now. Either way, we are ecstatic for her new found freedom. Now we all venture forth into walking toddler land. The video isn't great but you get the idea. She knows she's got it, and just wants to show off.

At the Park Video Footage

2010-06-06T13:10:00.000-07:00

In Robbie's last post, he mentioned some video footage of Hannah I had taken. Well, the footage I took was vertical, I must of thought I was taking pictures, who knows. Anyway, I took Hannah back to the park and she was a willing participant in a another take of her going up and down the slide. The footage is in two parts, as I don't currently have the software to combine the videos into one.

Enjoy!

At the Park

2010-05-23T20:50:00.000-07:00

We finally got a break in the weather and made it to the park. Hannah's friend Jack showed her how to climb up the stairs and go down the slide. So now that's pretty much all she wants to do.

Naomi was able to capture a couple of good shots as Hannah was coming down, so we thought we'd share them.

Naomi also took a video sideways that she'll try to straighten out prior to posting. Stay tuned!

PARTY TIME!

2010-04-26T16:32:00.000-07:00

Hannah's big party was a success. Some family and numerous local friends attended the starry event.

Hannah's getting excited as she watches all of the crazy cousins and other energized kids running around.

It turns out she liked her cake. Yum.....raspberry filling.

She got ton's of gifts including these cool shades.

We ended the event with a trip to John Day's Best Western for a dip in their pool.

The Big 1

2010-04-01T22:15:00.000-07:00

Hannah turned 1 today. Although we didn't have a party for her she did have the opportunity to practice opening presents. She got a lot of great things, books, clothes, barrettes, a stylin' cowgirl hat, some dora the explorer underwear, and a wooden helicopter. We think she'll be ready for the big party to come.

Every time we go to the store Hannah points at the balloons. So low and behold she received some for her birthday. She wasn't real sure of them at first but by the end of the night she was enjoying them.

My New Ride

2009-12-10T20:37:00.000-08:00

Hannah received an early Christmas present from her Grandma and Grandpa Piehl while we visited at Thanksgiving. Her license plate just arrived in the mail, and she is rip roaring ready to go.

Also here is some video footage of her being driven in her car. Sorry it is so dark, but you can still see the smile on her face.

Hoppy Halloween

2009-12-03T17:16:00.001-08:00

Delayed posting. Here is Hannah in her bunny costume on Halloween. We took her out and about in John Day, mostly to see what she thought of all the weirdos dressed up, but she paid no attention.

Tickle Monster

2009-10-29T19:43:00.000-07:00

Sleep Jumper

2009-10-29T19:32:00.000-07:00

Avacado Anyone?

2009-09-19T12:37:00.000-07:00

Who new that avocado could be so darn exciting? Hannah practically flings herself into the spoon to get a bite of avocado. She either loves it, or is having some sort of food convulsion.

We Have Roll Over!

2009-08-29T14:04:00.000-07:00

Hannah attempted to roll over today and succeeded. Yippee! The first time she rolled over I was slow at getting the action on video. However, I managed to get her the second time around.

Town Deer

2009-08-26T15:01:00.000-07:00

Here is a shot of the Town Deer (Bucks) that came to visit us last night. They were feasting on the greens in the yard. They must be seeking refuge as bow season opens up this weekend.

Hannah's First Swim

2009-08-26T11:02:00.000-07:00

We went over to Boise for the weekend, and statyed at a hotel with an indoor pool. Hannah got a short taste of what it's like to swim. Pictures and video to follow. If your computer has a slow connection, let the movies buffer first and then watch them. (Basically, hit play, and then pause. Let the faded red bar complete the movie, and then hit play again. This will help you to see the video without it being broken up with stops and starts.)

Hannah's First Night out in the Woods

2009-08-17T17:08:00.000-07:00

We took Hannah on her first overnight trip to the woods. We stayed at a campground not far from town, just in case we had to make a midnight dash home. As we figured though, she did great and we all had a wonderful night.

Of course, like many of us, the fire was very mesmerizing to her, and kept her attention for some time.

Robbie set up the sleeping bags perfectly to allow me to feed Hannah through the night, and we all slept well. There is something about sleeping outside under the stars, and the sound of peace and quiet.

Here is a short video clip of Hannah taking care of nature's call outside the tent. (Only a baby could make this cute.) She has been able to go potty on the toilet for some time now, but has graduated to great outdoors women.

Huckleberry Picking

2009-08-10T16:24:00.000-07:00

We went for a hike yesterday outside of town. It was a perfect day for a walk, not to hot, and we had the trail all to ourselves. We saw a few animal tracks; elk, deer, and bear.

I am glad I packed an extra plastic bag, as we stopped and picked huckleberries along the way.

Here are a few shots and short video of Miss Hannah getting her first real taste of solid food, well, dirt and huckleberry juice that is.

I'm looking forward to making something extra delicious with our bounty.

4 Months

2009-08-08T16:15:00.000-07:00

Hannah had her 4 month check-up and all went well. She weighed in at 15 lbs, 5 ounces, and has hit all her developmental milestones. She ranked in the 75% percentile in her growth, and the doctor was very pleased with her progress.

Hannah had her second round of immunizations also at this visit. Shots went well, she took them like a champ. However she did get a reaction and we fought a fever for 24 hours. Oh well, much better then the alternative.

Her next well baby check-up will be in two more months. Man, she'll be 6 months old then. Yikes, time certainly has gone bye quickly.

Grandpa's Birthday Visit

2009-08-08T11:31:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful visit with Ma and Pa Piehl. It was Brent's birthday and they came and spent a couple of days with us.

We enjoyed a great hike up into the Strawberry Mountain Wilderness, both the upper and lower Strawberry Lakes. Hannah really enjoyed seeing her grandparents, and didn't want them to leave.

She gave her grandpa a big strong birthday hug before they left. I wish I had a picture. It was so precious.

California Visit

2009-08-08T11:29:00.001-07:00

In July I had a High school class reunion to attend in California, so Hannah and I drove the 11 hour trek. It was great, we stopped in Lakeview, Oregon, the first night. As 11 hours is way to much time for an infant to spend in a car seat, in my opinion. She and I stayed at cheap hotel and spent many hours watching too much T.V., something we don't have at home. Man even the stupid reality shows are addicting, I think I need help!

The next morning we drove to Sacramento, CA and stayed with Grandma Coni. I was able to introduce Hannah to her Aunt Andrea, Aunt Marcy, Uncle Brian, Uncle John, Uncle Tony and her cousins; Sydney, Andrew, Theodore and Riley.

I was happy to have Hannah meet everyone, as we don't get down that way often, even now, living in Oregon.

We also made a surprise visit to see Hannah's Great Grandma Alberta in her retirement home.

As most of our trips go, quick, we only stayed in Sacramento two days, and then headed down to Modesto to see the rest of the family.

While in Modesto, we visited Great Nonna and Papa D'Accardo, Nonna Renee, Aunt Linda, Uncle Gary, and cousins: Brianna, Athena, Big Ed, Edwin, Emani, Amina, and Amira.

Nonna Renne watched Hannah the evening of my reunion, and got to have some bonding time, while I was out playing.

The reunion was very nice, and it was great to see many of my high school friends.

I enjoyed seeing my girlfriends, and chatting like old times. Not much had changed, and many of my classmates were still the same in both personality and appearance.

I won to awards that evening, The person who traveled the furthest, and also the individual who had a baby most recently. I thought I should of also gotten a free drink or something for having won the most awards. Oh well maybe in another fifteen years.

Hannah and I made the trek back up north in two days, again stopping midway, as not to take advantage of Hannah's good attitude in the car. During the trip, I broke off my food restrictions/diet that I had been doing for two months to help Hannah's digestive system. How, one might ask did I fully initiate myself back into the world of food, other then rice this and rice that? I had a vanilla milkshake and bacon cheeseburger, of course. Also on the return drive, I woke early in the morning to beat the heat and accommodate Hannah's sleep schedule, I broke down and got a fancy coffee - a mocha with whippidy and chocolate syrup. I can't wait to include Mexican and Thai food back into my diet in the very near future.

Great Grandpa and Grandma Come to Visit

2009-08-08T11:18:00.000-07:00

In June, Hannah had some very special visitors, Great Grandpa and Grandma Piehl. It was a wonderful visit, filled with lots of love for Hannah.

Juneau in June

2009-08-04T22:42:00.000-07:00

In late June I had to go to AK to take a course towards my Masters Degree. Robbie, Hannah and I flew up there for a two week adventure. (Robbie was only there the first week.)

Juneau was just as we had left it 6 months earlier. It was wonderful to be back and visit many of our friends we made while living there. If it wasn't for my class, I'm not sure we would have gotten back there so quickly since the move.

Robbie watched Hannah during my class the first week and the second week Hannah attended college with me. As usual, she never seizes to amaze me. She did superbly during class, and believe it or not, I even completed my assignments on time and received an A in the course.

Although I couldn't of done the second week on my own, thank goodness for our friend Carol. She helped out each evening with Hannah so I could accomplish my homework.

We got out Halibut fishing on Chad and Monica's boat early in our stay. Hannah didn't catch the big one, but maybe next time. The fishing wasn't great, but it was wonderful to be back out on the ocean. Robbie got out fishing several more times in the evenings with Chad also. In the future though we won't be mixing business and pleasure again. There's just so much we wanted to do, but I had to be responsible and leave the playing to another visit.

2 Months Old

2009-06-03T21:44:00.001-07:00

Hannah is now two months old, and has changed already so much. She smiles back at us now, and is making cooing sounds as well. We took her in yesterday for her two month check-up and first set of immunizations. She did very well and is fit as a fiddle. Actually she weighed in at a whopping 10 pounds 10 ounces. She is getting those cute little fat rolls on her legs and arms, and is so much more alert now. Her awake time has increased, and she does very well sleeping, usually only waking mom once in the middle of the night.

Hannah's May Visitors

2009-06-03T21:17:00.001-07:00

During the month of May Hannah got to meet some more family and friends.

Grandma Coni came to visit Hannah for a week.

Papa and Nonna came to Redmond, and we got to enjoy a vacation too.

Hannah also got to meet Uncle Lance and her best pal Giddy.

Look What I Made

2009-05-07T20:07:00.000-07:00

Today I finally finished a project I started before Hannah arrived. It is a mobile with contrasting colors. I guess for the first three or so months, baby's enjoy black, white and red colors. So I since I took a month to complete this, I'll be back at creating the next one in a couple more months, when Hannah will enjoy pastel colors.

Hannah's Adventure

2009-04-27T20:11:00.000-07:00

It all began on a beautiful clear evening, when I went into labor. Robbie was out of town for training in Bend, three hours away. I called him at 1am in the morning to say I think this is it. We had specifically asked Hannah (Plus One at the time) to wait until the weekend, but I guess our daughter has a mind of her own. After a conversation with the hospital, I drove myself in between contractions, and got checked out. Well at 3am on April 1st, I was officially admitted, and was dilated to 3.5cm.It was now time for Robbie to figure out how he was getting back to John Day. He went over to his training with the government rig, but luckily Super Spencer came to the rescue, and drove Robbie all the way back to John Day and then directly returned to head back to Bend. What a saint Spencer is. At 8:30am Robbie arrived and we were set to have a baby.

We had our Birth Coach, Debbie with us the whole time as well. She gave us the extra confidence to go through labor and delivery, especially since I went the all natural route. After a long night and day, the pushing stage began, and two hours later, baby Hannah was born. It is already a vague memory, the pain of childbirth, as now that we have Hannah with us, it is all so worth it.

Unfortunately Hannah became jaundice a day into our stay at the hospital, and her bilirubin levels were so high that she was lethargic, and not staying hydrated. The hospital here tried many, many (like 20) times to get an IV in Hannah, but with no luck and we had to begin feeding her through a tube into her stomach through her nose. After several days, the decision was made to take Hannah to Bend's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Our little girl got to take her first ride in a helicopter to Bend, while Robbie and I drove the three hour trek.

Once in Bend at the NICU, Hannah's bilirubin levels slowly came down and she was removed from the Isolet and bili lights. Before we were allowed to take little Hannah home, the hospital wanted to make sure she was eating well, and gaining weight. Hannah was breast feeding, bottle feeding (breast milk) and being fed what ever else she needed through a tube. The NICU had a certain number of ml that Hannah was supposed to be eating at each feeding. Any time she didn't meet that number via the breast and/or bottle, the food went down the tube. At one point we were told if she gained weight for two days in a row, she could come home, but the doctor we had reneged on that , because she didn't feel Hannah was gaining enough. Luckily there was a shift change 8 days into Bend, and the new doctor was satisfied with with Hannah's progress, so we finally got to come home, 17 days after her birth.

We were so happy to be home with her. Our stay at the hospital and their focus on her weight had us a little scarred about her weight gain while home. But since we've been home we have been going in for weight checks and she has been gaining acceptable weight.

Sorry it has taken so long to write this portion of our tale. This is the short story, and I could go into major detail, but it would bore you, and isn't important anymore.
Home, Sweet, Home

Hannah

2009-04-03T17:50:00.000-07:00

Here is a quick snapshot of our beautiful daughter Hannah. She was born on April 1st at 5:23pm. She weighed in at 7 pounds 10 ounces. We will post more photos soon, as she is unable to come home just yet. She has a severe case of jaundice, and must stay a few more days under special lighting. Thank you everyone who has called and been so supportive. And to those of you that answered the poll with girl, good job, you were right.

Bucket of Balls

2009-03-28T11:08:00.001-07:00

On Thursday, the weather was so exquisite, that Robbie and I went out to the golf course. He hit a couple of buckets of balls, and then we both played on the putting green. Here are a couple of shots of Robbie having a good time.

Nesting

2009-03-26T19:59:00.000-07:00

I thought I was the one who was supposed to be nesting but this morning Robbie worked diligently getting Plus One's crib all ready to go, thanks to Ted and Darcy. I thought I'd take a few pictures to share with you. He's already an awesome Dad! Also we'd like to say thank you to Nonna Renee for the hand made baby crib set she sewed especially for Plus One.

Baby Shower

2009-03-26T19:44:00.000-07:00

This post should of come some time ago, as Cheryl and Francie threw us a baby shower back on February 28th. Sorry for the delay in posting, but heck times have been busy and I've been lazy. Fine I admit it!

Robbie and I went up to Sandpoint for the shower on a Friday and then drove back on Sunday. It was a super quick trip, but well worth the time and effort. We had a wonderful time, and everyone was so generous with baby gifts. Robbie and I feel like we got everything that may be needed to get started with Plus One, and can't wait to put it all to good use in the very near future.

I just wanted to make sure that I acknowledge this event on the Blog, and say a very BIG Thank You.

Just one of our favorite gifts.

32 Weeks and Counting

2009-02-20T18:21:00.005-08:00

Well we reached the 32 week mark on Monday, and technically have 8 more to go. However typically the first baby does tend to be born late, around 41 or 42 weeks. So I guess we will have to wait and see how eager Plus One is to pop out and meet us, and the world around him/her.

Robbie and I have narrowed some first name choices down but need to work on the middle name too. Ever notice how first and middle names just seem to go together, Naomi Ann or Robbie Allen?

The last post I made about the pregnancy discussed my hopes for a home birth, well turns out our insurance wouldn't cover the expense, so Robbie and I decided to go with a hospital birth. We found out today that Robbie's insurance will cover all of the expense, which will leave us money to invest in Plus One's future.

Right now our doctor visits are two weeks apart and beginning the 36th week, we start to have weekly check-ups. According to Dr. Andrea, all is well, and the baby is growing just as he/she should be. My weight gain is perfect, and she thinks it will be at least another 4-6 pounds. Robbie and I had made a wager in the beginning about how much weight I'd gain, he said 50 pounds (because he's such a sweetie!), and I said 35 pounds. Looks like I might actually win this one. My initial weight began at 141, and today I weighed in at 163. You can do the math.

Next weekend Robbie and I are headed to Sandpoint, ID for a baby shower that his family is throwing for us. Well actually, Robbie will be off enjoying the Bonner County Gun and Horn show with the men, while us ladies sit around and talk baby talk. It will be a quick trip as we will head out on Friday and return on Sunday.

As the baby gets bigger and the room he/she shares with my abdomen gets tighter and tighter, the movements are much more often and with more force. Lots and lots of jabs and kicks. My belly button is not quite and inny anymore but also not quite an outy either. At some point it will be pushed beyond equilibrium and pop. Robbie and I have not taken a wager on this yet.

I have begun a baby afghan for the baby, and below is a photo of what I've accomplished so far. I'm pretty proud of myself for finally figuring out the pattern and will be even happier if I finish it too!

Stuffed Peppers alla Robbie

2009-01-25T20:11:00.003-08:00

Robbie made these delicious stuffed red peppers for dinner tonight. He adapted the following recipe, Spanish Beef and Rice, from Rachael Ray's cookbook, 30-Minute Meals 2.

Spanish Beef and Rice
2 cups beef stock
1 & 3/4 cups water
1 tablespoon butter
2 cups white rice (Robbie used Uncle Ben's Minute Rice, Imported from Alaska)
1 tablespoon olive oil, preferably extra-virgin
1 & 2/3 pounds of ground sirloin (Robbie used deer hamburger)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 large onion finely chopped
4 cloves garlic (we buy the minced stuff in a jar from Costco)
1 green bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped (Robbie omitted this step, as we used the mixture to stuff in red bell peppers)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 cups tomato sauce
1/4 teaspoons ground cloves (Robbie doesn't add cloves to any recipe, so this step was omitted)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (Omitted, not on hand)

Robbie's Additions
Jalapeno
2 red bell peppers whole
1 cup Tillamook Garlic Chili Pepper Cheddar Cheese (What we had in the fridge)

Bring beef stock, water, and butter to a full boil in a medium-size pot. Add rice, reduce heat and cover pot. Cook 20 minutes, until rice is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed.

Heat a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil, onion, garlic, and jalapenos, saute until the veggies are tender. Add meat, and Worcestershire and brown. Add tomatoes sauce, cloves, cumin, and parsley. Bring to a low boil and then reduce heat to low.

Combine cooked rice, and cheese with meat mixture. Stuff into red peppers, and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.

***We boiled the peppers first to soften them slightly before stuffing them. Advice courtesy of Grandma Marilyn.***

Robbie's peppers were awesome, and I highly recommend this recipe to you our family and friends. If you try them and add a different spin, let us know how it goes.

Bob Appetit

Our Newest Feat

2009-01-20T14:07:00.004-08:00

Robbie and I brought back several puzzles from Grandma Jean at Christmas time. This was the first one we attempted, and it took us much longer than anticipated to complete it. Our friends Dave and Emily (http://beatleys.blogspot.com/) also just completed a puzzle that racked their brains, I've asked them if we shouldn't do a swap.

John Day Fossil Beds

2009-01-14T20:29:00.005-08:00

Here are a few pictures from a day trip we took to the John Day Fossil Beds. The Thomas Condon Paleontology Center (visitor center) is located about 45 minutes from our house, at the Sheep Rock Unit. We took the longest trail offered, The Blue Basin Trail, about a 3 mile loop. The trail overlooks the valley and only changes in elevation by about 600 ft.

Christmas Photos

2009-01-10T07:47:00.008-08:00

Uncle Robbie with our Niece and Nephew Olivia and Rowan.

It was defiantly a white Christmas.

Grandpa Bob modeling a Krusty Hat Original.

A star in the making. Olivia shows off her new guitar.

Rowan's my name, and "Da Da's" my game.

Christmas Morning!

25 Weeks

2008-12-30T15:10:00.004-08:00

Well here is a shot I took this afternoon with our Skype Cam. As you can clearly see, Plus One is growing and so is my belly.

Robbie and I are still in the process of determining who or how we will have Plus delivered now that we are settled in John Day. While living in Juneau, we were attending the Juneau Family Birth Center and were seen by three wonderful Midwives. I've had it in my mind during the pregnancy to birth outside the hospital setting, if at all possible and we remain a low risk pregnancy.

John Day does have a hospital and one Midwife who performs Home Births. It was time for a check-up so we met with the Midwife, Sherry, last week before heading out to Sandpoint, ID for holiday. She is very knowledgeable and has already confirmed that I/we would be comfortable with her delivering Plus One. Now we just need to do all the responsible stuff, like find out if our insurance will cover the cost of home birth and Sherry's services. The hospital here as one can imagine is pretty tiny and does have Labor and Delivery services available. It is amazing in this town how many people ask where we are going to deliver and as soon as we mention Sherry, they tell us how she birthed their children, or that she birthed them. Can you tell I'm already biased, and practically have my mind set.

Anyways, our last check-up went great, and the baby should be about 1&1/2 pounds now. We heard the heartbeat again, and we were able to hear the swooshing of the blood going in and out of the heart valves. It is amazing to know that all that is going on inside my body. The baby has been much more active the last few days too. I think he/she must be doing somersaults or something and causing quite a bit of commotion.

As we approach the third trimester, I will try to be better about keeping you updated. I'll add pictures, but suspect they will be hard to distinguish my belly size until right before I explode. What you will be able to see grow and stretch is probably my tattoo. Robbie and I wished we had measured it early on in the pregnancy to see how big it will actually get. Any wagers?

I know, we are slacking off!

2008-12-17T10:36:00.000-08:00

Just want to let you know we have not forgotten about you or the blog. Hopefully this evening or tomorrow we can give you an update on our move, our new home, and the baby. Please be patient, as we just got our belongings yesterday, and the computer hooked up with internet last night. Look forward to telling you more later.

Plus One

2008-11-08T14:37:00.003-08:00

Turn up your volume!

Eastern Oregon

2008-11-06T21:40:00.007-08:00

Last week Robbie and I made our way down to John Day, Oregon. This town is our soon to be home. We took a few photos, and I know that some of you are anxious to see what the area looks like.

Many of the fields we drove past had groups of mule deer grazing, as seen here. I have never seen so many deer in one area. They not only frequent the fields, but they also frequent town and spend their days lazily laying in people's yards.

One late afternoon we drove up to a small lake located in the National Forest. Three gentlemen were fishing, and it didn't look like they were doing too bad. This lake has a trail around it, and could easily be done in an hour or so.
This shot is a little washed out, but gives a better idea of the valley in which we will be living and the forest that surrounds it above.Here is a photo of a pheasant that Robbie spotted on the side of the road one afternoon. He had a lady friend with him, but she wasn't as pretty and was much more camouflaged in the background.

Oh yes, the shoe tree. No highway is complete with out one. Need I say more?

Hoonah

2008-10-02T09:04:00.009-07:00

This last weekend Robbie, Chad, Scott (Chad’s Bro), Marc (Chad’s Bud), and myself all took the ferry over to Hoonah, Alaska. Hoonah is a small fishing town of about 800 residents, located on Chichagof Island. We all had the intention of catching Coho (silver) salmon. Chad, Scott and Marc also brought their shotguns for some duck hunting. According to Chad, the fishing wasn’t off the hook, but we were all able to bring in enough fish to send everyone home happy.

We were pretty fortunate the weather held out all day Friday and through most of Saturday. However by Saturday evening the sky broke free into a Southeast Alaska down torrent. Luckily we had a “Tarpologist” with us, as Marc referred to Robbie. Actually, all the men worked really well together and donated great ideas so that we could still enjoy the outdoors, and cook without getting soaked from the rain. Can anyone guess where I was during all of this? Yep, you got it, in the truck, nice and dry. I figured it best to stay out of the way of all that testosterone. Plus, like a moron, I forgot an extra pair of waterproof boots, and didn’t want to take the chance of getting my feet soaked. That could have been a downer for everyone. Needless to say that evening most of us went to bed early, and listened to the rain hitting the cabs and canopy roofs of the trucks.

On Sunday, we awoke to the rain, but not as hard as the night before. Robbie and I didn’t go fishing with the others. We drove some of the forest service roads, looked for critters, and explored the town and its infamous brown bear hang out, the city dump. I’ve heard plenty of stories from Robbie and our friend Keith about the Hoonah dump and how huge the brown bears are that frequent it. According to Robbie the dump is different now, they have a gate around the freshly dumped off trash, and had it on fire, actually more like a smolder. Robbie didn’t expect with the change that we would see any bears, but low and behold one came out of the wood work, and another was down by the big pile of somewhat already burned trash. I thought the bears were plenty big, but Robbie assures me that the bears of the past got so big on human waste, that their belly’s dragged on the ground.

More pictures are down below in the albums, if you care to take a look.

Headed Down South

2008-09-21T20:09:00.002-07:00

Come late November, Robbie and I will be living in the lower 48 again. Robbie has been offered and accepted a Wildlife Biologist position with the Malheur National Forest and the Blue Mountain Ranger District in John Day, Oregon. We are eagerly awaiting a new landscape, recreational opportunities and the sun.

When Ma Sanders Came to Town

2008-08-27T18:57:00.007-07:00

After Brent, Cheryl, Ryan and Kristy came to visit, my mother, Renee stayed with us too. We had a wonderful time, and were even able to convince her to go out on the boat last Saturday. While heading out to North Pass, to silver (coho) salmon fish, we lucked out and witnessed porpoises, and whales around us and in the near distance. Unfortunately the pictures don't do it any justice. Our adventure was highlighted with mom bringing in the lone silver salmon into the boat. I think it may have been her first too! She did well, and had a grin from ear to ear. It is always awesome to hear the excitement of a none experienced fisher person when they bring in their catch of the day.

We also went up the Mt. Roberts Tram and ate dinner at the Timberline Bar and Grill on top for all of our birthdays. Moms was in July, and Robbie and I at the end of August. The ride up and down on the tram only lasts a few minutes, but to my mother, who isn't fond of small tight object floating up in the air, I think was a lifetime. At one point Robbie and I looked over on the way down, and wondered if she was hyperventilating. All in all we had a wonderful dinner and a spectacular view.

As with any of our summer time visitors, we headed out to the glacier to spot bears. We got lucky and saw a black bear fishing in the creek, and walking about the forest.

Now you see it now you don't!

2008-08-27T18:32:00.003-07:00

Hey everyone, check out my new hairdo. On my birthday, I went with my mother who was visiting, and got my hair cut to donate to Locks for Love. I absolutely love it, and it is so easy to care for.

When The Folks Came To Town

2008-08-24T21:00:00.008-07:00

Well the folks came to town and although they didn't catch too many fish they did land a 62+inch halibut that, according to the tide book, weighed over 120lbs. It was a good thing pa made me bring the pistol that day. That was the only fish landed that day and we just about gave up on the halibut to start trolling for silvers when ma got the bite. There was much teamwork and switching off with the pole between the two of them prior to the shots from the pistol (5 total, hey it's a small pistol). Good job you two! Also they did manage to catch a few silvers and we had an incredible visit with some fair weather. Ryan and Kristi showed up later on in the week and now Naomi's mom is visiting. So we have some updating to do but I just wanted to post some photo's for everyone to see.

2008-07-04T10:29:00.002-07:00

So we went out with Carol and Keith on Tuesday evening after work in the boat and saw another pod of Orca's. It looked like there were approximately 10 or 12. It was another great encounter. They were not as close to us, but fairly close to some of the whale watching charters, and I'm pretty sure those folks got there money's worth. I've attached a few of the pictures I captured, but mostly I sat and watched. Some of the Orca's were slapping their flukes and playing around. When we least expected it one even breached from the water, right in front of another boat. It was awesome!

On our ride back in from halibut fishing, which I caught a little one, we saw a few sea lions hanging out on one of the "can's", like a buoy marker. Attached are a couple of those photos as well. Hope everyone is having a great 4th of July.

Can you say halibut? Part II

2008-07-01T14:55:00.007-07:00

No complaints on Sunday morning when we awoke, as the sun was shining. As anyone living in Southeast Alaska knows, the sun has the uncanny ability to take a good day and immediately make it a great day. Robbie and I slowly made our way out of bed, as I had homework to do, and he painting. Thank goodness our great friend Chad Hood called and asked if we wanted to go fishing. We looked up the tide and marine forecast, and knew everything was aligned for a successful day on the water. We met up with Hood about 1pm, and headed out on "The Summer of 99" for one of the best fishing excursions we’ve had in a long time.

On the way out to our location, about an hour away from Juneau, I spotted what appeared to be something in the water off in the distance behind us. Chad turned the boat off and we sat and watched for just a brief moment, that’s when we realized I spotted some Orca’s (Killer Whales). A little interjection, I don’t like to use the words killer whale, because Orca’s aren’t a whale at all, but part of the dolphin family. O.k. back on track! The Orca’s were not in a tight swimming group as I had imagined they traveled, but sparsely spread out. Before we knew it the Orca’s were headed in our direction. Chad and I immediately got our cameras out to get some snapshots. The hard part about filming on the water is it is so vast, and you never know when or where sea life will pop-up next. Well, low and behold one Orca decided to surface and then dive under the bow of the boat and swim underneath the right hand side of the boat. I could see everything about it under the water, the white and black.

Hood’s dog Beavis was on the boat as well with us, as soon as she sensed and saw the Orca in the water below us, she jumped up on the side of the boat, and instinctually I grabbed her by the collar, this was one fish she didn’t want to jump in after. Thank goodness for Hood and his charged camera, because mine flaked out just then. I did get a shot of the Orca as it surfaced behind us on Robbie’s camera. It’s hard to make it out, but provides proof that what I’m saying isn’t total bull sh**.

With our adrenalin pumping, we discussed the day’s beginning, our excitement, and talked about that if we had to go home, the day would still be a total success, but that just isn’t how we roll. We continued on another 20-30 minutes to the halibut hole. The rest of the boat ride was uneventful, and that was just fine by us.

Hood took us to a tried and true halibut hole, he had secretly marked on his GPS, and as soon as we started dropping lines in the water, the bite was on. Chad was the first to yell “Fish On” and bring a fish in the boat, and actually I think he probably caught the most fish all together (catch and release after he met his limit of course). It didn’t take Chad and I long to get our two fish limit, when Robbie hooked into a “Masher.” Robbie knew immediately that is wasn’t a chicken on his line. It’s hard to tell actual size when a fish tugs 200 feet down, but by the way this fish took the bait and was stripping line, we all knew history was in the making. Robbie made good time reeling up the fish, not like some stories I’ve heard, but this fish wasn’t going easily. I was now on video detail and Chad was waiting in baited breath with the gaff. Unfortunately Chad’s first attempt with the gaff didn’t prove successful, but that was fine, as Robbie had the fish hooked really well. It didn’t take long to realize we might need to bring out the big guns, or some might say little guns, and nip this in the bud. Literally, Hood brought out his 22 pistol and instead of taking the chance at missing this honking fish, he put a bullet in it, and then just like a professional gaffed the halibut into the boat. We didn’t have a scale that went above 50 pounds, which this fish most definitely did, so we used the tide book to get a good estimate of its weight. Tide books have a section in them that give a length to weight ratio chart for fish. Robbie’s halibut was 55 inches long, so therefore approximately 82 pounds. The seas laid down and we stayed out on the water a bit longer and enjoyed the sun.

On the return we checked the dungi crab pots, plenty of crab in them, just not legal’s. I think we had a total of five for the day. All in all we all made out very well, and are grateful to the ocean for providing us with its bounty, but also an experience we won’t forget. Every time I’m out on the water and phenomenal things like this happen, I think of our family and wish they could enjoy and witness this as well.

Video footage to come, check back soon.

Can you say halibut?

2008-06-30T00:04:00.003-07:00

If a picture is worth a 1,000 words, then what is this picture saying?

We will write more tomorrow, it's 11:15pm and time for bed.

Sitka

2008-06-03T08:27:00.010-07:00

Hey everyone, long time no chat. We haven't been to good about keeping up the blog the last couple of months. Sorry! You know how it goes, sometimes life just gets in the way. Anyway, on Memorial weekend Robbie and I headed over to Sitka, Alaska on the fast ferry for a couple of days. We left here on Saturday morning around 8am, and got into Sitka about noon-thirty. The fast ferry M/V Fairweather was a wonderful way to travel. It's amazing all the country that Robbie has been to in Southeast Alaska. Everywhere we turned he was saying oh remember when I told you about this story or that story, it was here or there. He was able to point out a lot of the landmarks and that was nice. I'm even a little envious that he's seen so much! I was able to spot three brown bears on the shoreline on the way over, and on the way back I saw a sow and cub as well. There was rumor to of been some porpoises off the bow of the boat, and a few humpbacks were spotted as well. I couldn't of asked for a more relaxing way to get there.

Once we arrived we drove to the Sheldon Jackson Museum, http://www.museums.state.ak.us/sheldon_jackson/sjhome.html and enjoyed some of the history and art work of the indigenous people of Alaska. We later walked along the Totem Pole Park trail http://www.nps.gov/sitk/historyculture/totem-poles.htm. It was a short walk, but none the less great to check out some of the different types of totem poles and understand their significance a little better. We ate lunch at a burger joint and then went to meet up with a new friend Robbie made while working on the Sitka Ranger boat, Terry. Terry and his wife Mary where very welcoming and they and their daughter Greta had us over for dinner and allowed us to stay the night at their home. They have a wonderful view from their house of Mt. Edgecumbe http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Edgecumbe_(Alaska) and the ocean. Did I forget to mention the weather was absolutely gorgeous while we were on the trip too? Well it was, maybe in the low 60's and sunshine.

On Sunday Terry took Robbie and I out fishing on his boat. He showed us few new tricks as well. Thanks Terry! It's always good to have a few tricks up your sleeve. We brought up quite a few halibut, two king salmon, a flounder and a rat fish. I know, what the heck is a rat fish, I've attached a bad picture to the blog or you can click on this link to see a better example, http://www.goatview.com/ratfish.jpg. All in all it seemed to be a productive fishing day. Terry put us to shame with his magnificent fishing abilities.

Oh yeah I almost forgot to tell you, after six long years I finally saw my first humpbacks breaching. It was awesome. At first it looked like a cow and a calf were playing around and slapping their flukes on the water and then a few moments later out of the water they shot. It was so cool to see. I wish I could of gotten some photos or video footage, but I wasn't able to stare at one point to long, as the water was a little rough and my tummy wasn't to happy. Sitka is out on the open ocean http://www.accommodations-alaska.com/Southeast_Alaska_Map.jpg, not as well protected like Juneau with small islands that Keep the waters a little calmer.

That evening Robbie and I went to a wonderful dinner at the Channel Club and had the best smoked prime rib steaks I think we have ever eaten in Alaska and possibly the best steak I've had. We spent our second night at the Forest Service Starrigavan Campground. I had to get to spend one night in a tent. It's been such a long time since I've been camping. Robbie probably could of done without, as he camps for work out in the field all the time. We had a fire too! Forgot the smores though, Waaa! There were a couple of short trails at the campground and we went for evening walk on one and an early morning walk on the other.

We didn't take as many pictures as we should have, but they are down below with the other albums if you want to take a look.

Mexico

2008-03-23T13:41:00.002-07:00

So we headed down to Sayulita Mexico for Tim and Bri's wedding and had a great time. A storm came through early during our trip and stirred up the water which didn't allow for very good fishing, but compared to Alaska the weather was great. The food was good, the sun was out, and the company was awesome.

The beaches were lined with little crabs, our place we stayed had about seven or so iguanas hanging around, and we saw sea turtles, a manta ray and humpback whales. It was great!

Check out the photo's and you'll mainly see Tim and Bri's wedding photo's but there's a few others in there as well.

Our Next Adventure

2008-03-12T10:38:00.002-07:00

Hey Everyone, we will soon have some new photos, and possible video footage to share with you. Robbie and I are headed to Sayulita, Mexico on Sunday. Tim and Bri, on Robbie's side are tying the knot. I can't wait, unlike Thailand, where we were on the go, go, go, these four days are going to spent relaxing on the beach, and hopefully doing some deep sea fishing. I just wanted to write and let you know that I haven't forgotten about you, and stay posted.

Peterson Lake

2008-02-24T18:23:00.003-08:00

Happy Sunday Everyone,

This weekend we rented a Forest Service Cabin. We hiked out to it Saturday afternoon about noon and came out today about the same time. We didn't stay as long as we would have liked, but the one evening was a wonderful break from painting doors, trim and the house. Not to mention work for Robbie. Our friend Keith and his son Cole joined us as well. The hike in is, well depending on who you talk to, somewhere between 3.5 and 4.3 miles. The cabin is situated about 200 feet from the shore line. This time of year the trail is great, because it is covered with snow. In the summer it really can be a lot more work, stepping over tree branches and swampy conditions. The lake was frozen over, except one area where there was a beaver dam at the outflow to the creek. When we hiked in yesterday the weather was absolutely beautiful, not a cloud in the sky and the sun was shining. However this morning it was equally as beautiful, but snowing and the sky was back to what we are used to around here, cloudy. I've attached another photo album, Peterson Lake Cabin, down below of some photos, if you care to take a look.

A Beautiful Day!

2008-02-10T19:42:00.000-08:00

Well Friday morning I drove to work and it was 1 degree. I know brrrr, however cold it may have been that day, it didn't matter, because the Sun decided to grace us with its presence. So while at work, I took a few pictures of the view that all of us in Juneau are so fortunate to see.

Catfishing with Naomi

2008-01-28T22:46:00.001-08:00

Hey Everyone, our friend Chad made up this video footage of some Mekong Catfishing in Chiang Mai, Thailand. He did a great job putting it together, music and all. Let's see what you think.

Got It!

2008-01-27T18:28:00.000-08:00

O.K. I finally figured it out. I am now in the process of downloading all of our pictures, well maybe only 220+ pictures, from our Thailand trip. Robbie and I picked out some of the more attractive shots for your viewing pleasure. I am also going to be adding other albums to the blog in time. And if your lucky, I'll even get them all labeled as well. To find the albums, just scroll down towards the bottom of the page, on the right hand side, and you should see the words "Photo Albums." Right underneath are the albums, fill free to click away. You even have the option to save the photos on your computer if you like. I only ask that you respect the copyright laws, and don't use these photos as blackmail in the future. After all we can't be responsible for our actions as young newlyweds. =)

Robbie and I have settled back into life since our trip. Most of you are aware that right after our return flight into Seattle we flew down to spend time with my father who had terminal lung cancer. Robbie eventually had to get back up to Juneau for work, and I stayed a few more days. It's interesting how when someone you know and love is dying, that the reflection one has about the importance of family is hightened. I flew back to Juneau on a Saturday, and a few days later my father passed away. I feel so lucky to of had the opportunity to say good-bye to my dad, and often remind myself that not everyone is given that chance. So I leave you with this thought, "Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things."

I can't wait to blog you again soon in the near future. The photo attached is of my father Sy, and his sidekick Bear.

The Honeymoon's Over

2008-01-01T12:45:00.000-08:00

Well we have arrived back into the good old USA. As I type this entry we are waiting in the lobby of a hotel in Seattle, waiting to check in for the night. Our flights from Bangkok and Taipei were uneventful, just how I like them. A little turbulence once we got over by the Aleutians. Man do I hate to fly. However it was well worth it, and I wouldn't trade the adventure for the world. We fly back to Juneau tomorrow, and start work back up on Thursday, I think. I have to get my watch back in order. We haven't slept and I'm trying to hold out until this evening, to help get a hold on the time change. I promise by the end of the week there will be more photos added to the blog. I know everyone can't wait to see my Mekong Catfish. Well as there is only one computer in the lobby, I should share. Thanks for checking in, and humoring me with the blog. Just because we are home, doesn't mean the blogs will end. I still plan on using this as a great tool to share with you, our family and friends, with any exciting news and photos.

Hugs and Kisses

Nearing The End

2007-12-29T20:46:00.000-08:00

So we get on a train today and head back to the City of Angels (at least that's what the locals call Bangkok). However, I would have named it something different. We now have nothing exciting planned as we leave in a couple of days. Chiang Mai has been great but for some reason I felt it necessary last night to try all of the foods that I hadn't tried yet. Some of the stuff was great and other stuff was not so good. A word of advice if you ever visit here - stay away from the vegetable jello. So the next update will be from Alaska with a bunch of pictures added. Thanks to everyone who contributed to this wonderful experience. We had a great time!

Elephant Trek and Whitewater Rafting

2007-12-28T06:31:00.000-08:00

So we missed telling you all about going to the Mesa elephant camp. It was a hoot. The elephants played soccer, painted pictures and put on a pretty good show. We got a tuk tuk for the day and the poor lady drove us everywhere and waited for us while we screwed around. It worked out pretty good for us and if you like the smell of two-stroke engines, you to would love a tuk tuk. One elephant was pregnant and it appeared that she had swallowed a mini-cooper. She was 20 months pregnant and apparently had two to go. Lets just say she was big.

We were able to check out an orchid garden and a butterfly farm as well. We also went to a silk factory, a furniture shop and a lacquer shop. The furniture shop was crazy and they had beautiful stuff. They say that shipping anywhere in the world and insurance was covered yet the prices seemed to cheap to believe them. Nonetheless we didn't buy anything but would have loved to.

The big thing in Chiang Mai is to go on an elephant trek. Typical treks last a few days and you stay overnight in a hill tribe village. We got an inside scoop from a kid that did a three day trek and said you could do it all in a day so that's what we did. We had a great day that started off at another orchid garden and butterfly farm. We thought we had signed up for the wrong venue especially after hiking to another waterfall but finally ended up at a river that had some pretty good whitewater sections. We were on the water for 1 hour then got on a bamboo raft for another half hour.

We then went on a 1 hr elephant ride. Our elephant was a 22 year old gal whose name was Metzke. I thought the guy called her whiskey at first and I liked that name better so that's what I called her. It was pretty cool as we crossed a river, went up hills and they let us sit on its head. Luckily we do a lot of bull riding on Friday nights at Henry's and we were able to stay on. It was neat and now Naomi wants an elephant of her own.

The elephant trek was then followed up by a trek to the Karen long neck hill tribe where we got to see the natives with the gold coils around their necks. It was neat but it really wasn't their village, more like a market in the jungle. There were a lot of farang staying there and they didn't have a lot to do but drink beer. So I think we made the right choice with the day trip as we had an excellent time.

Tomorrow we're sleeping in.

Doi Inthanon National Park

2007-12-28T06:23:00.000-08:00

So Naomi really wanted to check out the National Park and go to Thailand's highest peak. I wish I could tell you the name of it or how high it was but I will have to fill you in on the details at a later time. Mainly it was a driving tour that lasted all day. We had a fairly knowledgeable guide who filled us in on some of the trees and history of the places. I would have to say the highlight was seeing the Royal Garden. The hillsides are covered with terraces from growing poppies for opium. The problem is that the soil is only good for three years then they have to go and decimate other hillsides. So the King and Queen made one of the areas into a garden that is huge. There are ornamentals, vegetables and all kinds of beautiful plants. It was an incredible site. I am sure the pictures won't do it justice. Otherwise we stopped at some waterfalls, and met some pretty interesting folks from others parts of the world.

Mekong Catfish

2007-12-28T06:06:00.000-08:00

Alright we are a few days behind on the blog. We apologize, but we are just having so much fun, it's been tough to make the time. But here we are at the almost end of our trip, and ready to share the past few days with you. As you have read in our previous blog, our friends Chad and Monica were in Chiang Mai as well for a few days. We caught up with them and went fishing with Chad a few days ago. We were fishing for Mekong catfish. It was not your usual fishing scene, but never the less very fun, and even a work out. We arrived at the lake outside of town in the early morning. We were anxious to see what Chad had been talking about from his previous experience here last year. We had a wonderful guide, his name was Mr. Tuk Tuk. He baited and cast the poles for us. I allowed him to do this all day, but Robbie eventually baited his own pole. Guess what we used for bait? Come on, think outside the box, way outside. Give up, left over 7 Eleven ham sandwiches. Mr. Tuk Tuk cut it all up into small pieces and then stuffed it into some sort of cage. I have a picture, and will post it once we are back in the states. It didn't take long at all to catch fish. Well actually it didn't take me long to catch fish. The largest fish I caught was 46.3 pounds (21kg), and I caught a total of 5 fish, and then lost 3 others. It was hard work getting them into the shore. Robbie did well also. He caught 4, his biggest being 42 lbs. It was non stop action, and there was only a handful of us there.

Cooking Class

2007-12-24T01:06:00.000-08:00

O. K. Robbie and I are fresh in from our Thai cooking course, and it was awesome. The two gentlemen who put it on were absolutely great and very funny too. We made seven different courses and they even let us eat our fixing's for lunch and dinner. They sent us home with a small cook book, so get ready everyone, it's on, dinner at our place. Yesterday was our first full day in Chiang Mai, and we spent it walking around. There was a walking market, that took place in the evening, and it was pretty cool. We got to play the bartering game, and I got better at it after a beer. We tried a pork sausage that was to die for. It had lemon grass, peppers and was barbecued. We also had some sort of waffle desert, a fresh strawberry shake, and then the usual fixings for dinner (pad thai). Our friends Chad and Monica have arrived here today as well, and we may meet up with them this evening. All is well, we wish everyone a Merry Christmas.

The Piehls

Chiang Mai

2007-12-22T18:39:00.000-08:00

Well after waiting around at the Ferry station, Train station, then the Bus station we made it to Chiang Mai. We got in late last night and have yet to see the town. Our time on the beach was nice. We both got a lot of sun and Naomi is blistered up but good. She thought beings from California and all that she could handle all of the sun. Not so. Our fishing trip was a fishing trip and not much of a catching trip. We had a nice time on a pretty interesting boat. One Barracuda was caught and there were numerous other species of small fish brought on board as well. We didn't get sick unlike many of the others. Poor bastards. We did see numerous fish jumping here and there and they appeared to be barracudas. We don't know for sure but they jump similar to a pink salmon. Mr. Ung was our skipper and just from his name you have a pretty good idea of what he looked like. The bilge on the boat ran nonstop and the railings weren't attached very well, but there were life jackets on board.

I was disappointed to leave as I had found my favorite restaurant to eat, Uncle Noi's. They had a good selection of tasty food and made one heck of a goy ban (banana shake). When I told them I was full they called me an ape. I thought that was Thai for full but after looking in my book I am not so sure. Regardless they were good people and fun to chat with.

Thanks for checking in and we're off to find a Thai cooking course and an elephant trek for our stent here.

Us

Figureing it out

2007-12-18T19:20:00.000-08:00

So it appears that the An Thong Marine Park is closed for a week out of the year and it just so happens to be the same week we are here. So we walked to the local 7-11 and bought numerous Chang beers and brought them back to our bungalow. We moved to the north side of the island and it seems as though we have the whole beach to ourselves. It's awesome. We were too late on booking the fishing trip for the day so we booked it for tomorrow. Naomi is bummed because she now has to settle for another massage and a mani-pedi. Spoiled girl. She'll be ruined for sure.

We went on a tour of the island and watched monkeys drop coconuts from a tree, checked out some waterfalls, got blessed by a monk and saw grandfather and grandmother rock. For those of you who don't know the grandfather rock is a large rock shaped like a _ _ _ _ _ (male genitalia) and then there is a large crevasse in a rock that resembles a _ _ _ _ _ _ (female genitalia). The locals are quite proud of those ones. Once again we saw more large Buddha's. Walking around town and on our bungalow we've seen a ton of frogs, geckos and butterflies. I believe that the amphibian population in the U.S. is not declining to pollution as the amphibians here seem to be making it just fine. Thanks for checking in. We'll keep ya posted.

Ko Samui

2007-12-16T19:17:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Robbie and I arrived in Ko Samui, it's an island south east of Bangkok. We took the train from Bangkok. It left about 7:30pm and we arrived in Surat Thani in the morning at 7:30am. We had a second class berth and the seats folded into beds. It wasn't bad at all and we met some nice Irish travelers, one who spoke so fast and had such a thick accent it was hard to understand him. They drank the night away with one of the train attendants. Once arriving in Surat Thani we took a bus to the ferry station, at which point we hopped onto the ferry and enjoyed the warm breeze, and ocean spray. We arrived to our bungalow in the afternoon, it's on the beach but not the front row, so tomorrow we are going to try and get a first class view. The island still has a lot of westerners, but is much slower pace then Bangkok, and I'm enjoying the beach scene very much. We are going to take a tour of the island this afternoon, and then go kayaking tomorrow at a national park west of the island. We are having a wonderful time, and might get in a fishing trip this week also. We may have the luxury of catching King Mackerel or Barracuda. I'm still working on trying to get Robbie to rent a moto bike here on the island. I think its probably our best option if we are going to do it. I will probably attach pictures to these posts once we return to the states. Sorry, It just hasn't worked out.
We have to sign off for now. Talk to you again in a few days.

We Made It!

2007-12-13T17:27:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone, after 19 plus hours of flying we arrived safely in Bangkok yesterday. Robbie and I spent a little more time then necessary trying to figure out which taxi to take from the airport to the guesthouse. But the time saved us a few hundred bahts. Everyone said the roads were really busy, I didn't find the highway to be that way, but once we reached the center of town, whoa, hold the horses, it was crazy. However everyone seems to be able to drive defensively enough that we didn't see any crashes. It cool because there are the tuk tuks, moto bikes, and cars all sharing the same road. They don't really stay in one lane or seem to follow traffic rules like we have back in the states. Robbie and I did ride in a tuk tuk to see the Standing Buddha. Very beautiful. We also spent some time last evening visiting the Khoa San area, where there is a night market, and great food. I got a wax, while Robbie enjoyed some brew and people watched. Our guest house is nice and in a good local. It is pretty humid here and the temperature is about 80+ degrees. We do have a fan in the room, and that seems to help quite a bit. Today we are headed to downtown, the snake farm, and maybe we will take in some thai boxing. There is much more I want to write but time is short on the Internet.

Packing, Finally

2007-12-10T22:13:00.000-08:00

Well it's 9:15 and we have decided to start packing. Robbie is on the phone with his grandparents, wishing them Merry Christmas. I'm modeling the first bathing suit I've owned in 5 or 6 years. We have a morning flight at 7am, and if Mother Nature sees to it all will start off as planned. We have a lay over in Seattle, so we are going to go and check out Pike Street Market and the surrounding area. As many times as Robbie and I have flown through and stopped in Seattle, we haven't ventured out to far. So we have decided not to sit at the airport for the day, and start this trip off on the right foot. Our flight leaves Seattle for Bangkok, via another short layover in Taipei, Taiwan at 12:55am on the 12th. We should arrive around 12:30pm on the 13th. We move over the international date line, so we have the pleasure of jumping ahead a day. I apologize now if we call home to family at odd hours of the day. The next time you hear from us we will be in Bangkok. =)

It's getting close

2007-12-07T13:56:00.000-08:00

Well, the countdown has officially begun. We leave here on Tuesday, the 11th, and arrive in Bangkok, Thailand on the Thursday the 13th. We gain a day in flight, so that's why it seems so long. I'm not anxious to fly, as usual, but am looking forward to the food, sun, and culture. Did I mention sun, oh yeah and the warmth that comes along with the sun. I've begun packing, but it's not to difficult when you only own three pairs of shorts. I haven't figured out how to upload the photos albums I want yet. Thanks for being patient.

It's getting there

2007-12-06T11:04:00.000-08:00

O.k., we are slowly piecing this thing together. We hope to get a few pictures added before we leave town on Tuesday. Maybe an album or two, possibly of the wedding and AK. However, we're not sure if we will be able to upload any photos while on our trip in Thailand. I guess only time will tell. Oh, It's getting closer, and we can't wait. The Sun, The Sun!

The Begining

2007-12-05T14:00:00.000-08:00

Well, be kind. This is a blog in progress. We hope to get this thing up and running, so while we are in Thailand everyone can come to one place to read our stories, trials and tribulations. Wish us luck on piecing this thing together.