BDLog

Vancouver Olympics 2010

2010-02-26T12:06:00.000-08:00

Brian and I had a wonderful time at the Olympics this week! We watched women's curling and men's aerial freestyle skiing. The city is packed with international guests, all wearing the elusive red gloves that I can't seem to get my hands on! Vancouver pulled off some fairly amazing public transportation projects that made moving literally thousands of people around the city and to and from venues as efficient as possible. We quickly became pros at navigating the new subway system and extensive bus routes to quickly take us wherever we wanted to go.

Curling is a really interesting sport. Imagine a combination of professional pool, bocci ball, shuffle board and horseshoes, played on ice with slippery shoes and little scrubbers that send the "rock" in one direction or another. It's a game of strategy, skill, and back strength. We really got into it. Luckily we sat next to two retired female curlers from Canada who filled us in on the silly lingo and rules.

Men's Aerial Freestyle Skiing was incredible to say the least. Watching this sport on TV absolutely does not do it justice. These guys literally flipped themselves 6 stories straight up into the air performing tight straight turns and flips all the way down to a difficult landing on a very steep hill. Some of them managed perfect landings while other's timing was off just a hair but enough to make the force of their fall slam their bodies backwards into the mountain. I could have sworn one of the men walked away from that with a concussion. Each one seemed to do just a hair better than the one before, making the final results a complete surprise. Happily one of our Americans, Jeret Peterson, kept the gold metal slot for quite a while until a Belarusian, Alexei Grishin, came through with a stunning gold metal jump at the very end. We took silver, and that was super exciting.

Overall, we had an extremely relaxing vacation this week. We slept in every day, ate great meals, hung out with a couple of Brian's cousins, Ali and Katie, and remembered what it was like before we were parents. Abby is happily spending the week with Grandma and Grandpa McFarlane in AZ, an exciting adventure in and of itself. I got to eat my favorite treat - crepes with nutella, banana, and strawberry - delicious!

Check out our pictures on flckr at:
www.flickr.com/photos/bdfamily

We'll have more pictures up soon!

Abby Turns 2 years old!

2010-01-25T15:20:00.000-08:00

What a fantastic day we had for Abby's 2nd birthday!!!

Grandma and Grandpa ("Gamma & Tampa") McFarlane were in town for the big event, and boy did we have fun.

We started off the day at the park with Bilbo and Mommy where we rode on swings, bouncy seats and slides. We worked up an appetite for yummy blue berry pancakes, eggs, and juice. Abby got to eat off the special plate. Abby opened a few presents and then took a ride on her new stylin' red Radio Flyer tricycle. Looks like she will need to grow a few more inches before she can go super fast.

We took a trip to the beach next. We had a great time throwing rocks into the ocean and standing in the water in our rain boots. Bilbo got to play ball in the water too!

After a nice long nap, we had a fun birthday party with lots of good friends at Tutta Bella. We danced to the live band and ate yummy pizza and birthday cake. Abby was smiling from ear to ear when the band sang her "Happy Birthday". She even danced with a boy for the first time - her friend Micah was there. Of course, the first one to pull Abby onto the dance floor was her best friend Tatum.

Abby got lots a presents, but she seemed much more impressed just with the fact that it was her birthday, her special day. She mentioned "Happy birtay" many times through out the day and repeatedly asked for us to sing the Happy Birthday Song.

Waiting for the bus

2010-01-15T17:42:00.000-08:00

Got the cutest pic of Abby waiting for the bus with my umbrella. What
a big girl

Dinner with the Randalls

2010-01-02T21:18:00.000-08:00

Went to dinner with Jill, Tim, Tatum, and Piper tonight at Tacos Guaymas in Greenlake. Abby was so excited to see her friends. She and Tatum ate bean burritos and each did a great job eating! It was a nice way to relax after a long day at work for me.

Abby and Brian spent over an hour and a half playing in her kitchen today. She created a soup and a pie with her fake food that consisted of strawberries, bacon, eggs, bread, and "sauce". Later the two of them made smoothies. Amazingly enough Brian was able to pull off adding frozen peas to their concoction of pineapple, peaches, yogurt, and blueberries!

My belly continues to grow everyday. I am thankfully feeling better for the most part, but this pregnancy is definitely more challenging physically than my first. I've felt the baby move a few times in the last week! The next ultrasound is coming up in about 3-4 weeks. We'll be able to check all those baby "parts". However, we won't be learning about the part that everyone wants to know about - we want to be surprised! Abby is able to say both the boy and girl names we picked out for the baby. She is the only privileged party to know that information. Hopefully she can keep a secret!

It's been awhile

2009-10-18T20:48:00.000-07:00

Thought I would take a few minutes to catch you all up on our crazy life in Seattle since I hadn't posted since last March - yikes!

I successfully ran a marathon in June. It was a life changing experience that I am very, very proud of. Earlier today I relived the experience as we drove home up highway 99 and I pointed out different spots on the very difficult last few miles of my race. Looking back now, I can't believe that I actually ran that far. 5 miles seems a little difficult to me at this point!

Brian climbed many peaks this spring and summer, gaining amazing memories and new friends along the way. He is gearing up for his next climbing season as we approach the graduation from his beginning year. I am proud of all of his accomplishments!

Abby is growing up right before our eyes and just keeps amazing us with her new words and tricks. She is a happy girl with lots of spunk and energy. Now almost 21 months, she is a word smith and joker. She is also fine tuning the art of tantrums as she approaches her 2nd Birthday. Just tonight I mentioned putting toys away for bedtime and she rain wailing into our bedroom and flung herself head first onto Bilbo's pillow, only to start cracking up when I threatened to tickle her! She started daycare in September and is making new friends. She likes being there but does miss seeing Tatum and Jerri (her nanny). :( These transitions can be tough.

We sadly (but wisely) found a new home for our dog Libby. We now have a much more relaxed dog environment with just Bilbo who seems much more content as an only dog. It's so hard to not have Libby, but she is in a good home with one of my friends from work. I hear she gets lots of love, walks, swims, and jogs now.

I start a new shift at work this week. I will work 7 days in a row, followed by 7 off. It will be quite a change for me and my family, one that I hope will work out well in the end. Wish me luck!

Off to bed.

-Diana

Rainier Take 2

2009-07-28T16:50:00.000-07:00

Well, the time has come once again to attempt Mount Rainier. 4 of us from our climbing class are taking off tonight to go an test our ability, training, and endurance. With luck we will be Summiting Friday morning around 5am. If you are interested in live tracking our progress here is a website that will be updated every hour or so.

http://tinyurl.com/rainier-watch

Maui Vacation 3/8-18/09

2009-03-28T13:35:00.000-07:00

Brian, Abby, and I had a very nice trip to Maui. I thought I'd give you the highlights:

We arrived to our nice little hotel room in the evening after traveling for 10 hours total. Abby had not been able to run around since leaving home in Seattle, so she was giddy, just running around the hotel room like a crazed animal.

I started my conference the next morning, and Brian and Abby started their daily routine: sleeping in until 9 or 10am, eating breakfast in the room, and heading out to the kiddie pool or beach just outside of our room. Abby LOVED the beach, the sand, the water rushing under her feet, and the waves crashing at her torso. She was adventurous and independent. When I got back at noon, we'd play, eat lunch, and take afternoon naps. My conference ended Friday, and we had 4 more days to play before heading home.

O'o Farms is an organic small farm in the up country that supplies 4 of Maui's gourmet restaurants with their fresh produce. They took us on a tour, picking fruit and veggies for us to sample, explaining their sustainable farming practices and organic farming process. Abby loved trying the produce. She ran aournd, picked up rocks, dug in the dirt, and tried to eat some flowers! She was the only baby there. They picked veggies for lunch as we toured, while the chef began preparing the meal of fresh mahi mahi, salads, veggies, fruit, and homemade dark chocolate. At lunch the adults marveled at Abby's wide palate. In fact, Abby was a better eater than most of the adults at the table, giving everything a try and liking most of it.

We went to a Luau one night. Abby learned how to clap, and she was awed by the fire dancers. She ate corn on the cob like a pro. It was pretty "touristy", but we were glad we went. Out other touristy activity was a glass bottom boat ride on which divers brought octopus, puffer fish, and other neat sea creatures up for us to see. It was pretty cool, but Abby wasn't really into that ride. She much more preferred the Maui Aquarium with bright tanks and colorful fish. It rained the day of the aquarium trip, and her favorite part was running out in the warm rain.

The windy road up the Haleakula volcano to watch the sunset was scary for me! It was misty, the road was tiny and twisty, and in many spots on the edge of a cliff. I got super car sick, but once we made it up above the cloud line, I was awe struck by the shear beauty of the mountain and the view. There was a group of Japanese people who just loved seeing Abby up there. They ran up to her to touch her and get their picture taken with her. We went from 75 degrees and sunny to 35 degrees and cloudy. It was so cold! Despite that, we had a very nice time watching the sun set above the clouds. Unforgettable. Wow.

Our absolute favorite trip was the Road to Hana. We stopped for the helpful road guide, smoothies, and a packed lunch. Our first stop was Twin Falls where we all swam in the cool water fall pool. Abby inspected the rocks, picking each up before chucking it back in the water. Brian taught me how to skip stones on the water. We stopped at two more waterfalls, a beach with black pebble sand, fresh water caves, blow holes, and look-outs to watch whales and surfers. By the time we got back, we'd spent over 12 hours on our trip. We were dirty, exhausted, and totally happy.

Abby tends to make development leaps when on vacation. On this trip she had many firsts: growled like a bear, said "tar" for guitar, pooped in the toilet, imitated chewing gum and mommies flip flop shoes noise, said "nanna for banana, and fed birds on the patio. She said "Hi" (sounded like, "ha"). She really started running and even tried to jump. She was really lovey with lots of hugs and kisses.

Vacation can be so renewing and relaxing. It was new for Brian and I to take a long vacation with a baby. And while it was not the most relaxing of times, this vacation really bonded us together as a family. We're still feeling the effects of our fun trip!

Love,

Diana

Look where we are going to stay!!!

2009-03-05T23:06:00.000-08:00

http://www.marriott.com/hotels/hotel-photos/hnmmc-wailea-beach-marriott-resort-and-spa/

Whoo hooo!!!

Is that Brian I see down there golfing? Oh, no.... it's me getting a massage. How silly of me.

Abby, don't get too close to the puffer fish!

We're planning the trip and dreaming of beautiful scenery. Can you believe it?

Fun filled weekend trip to AZ

2009-03-02T21:58:00.000-08:00

Wow! Abby and I had quite the busy weekend in Arizona.

We started off the trip with a 2 day trip to see Grandma & Grandpa (Monica and Bart). They were so much fun with Abby - quite doting and loving. Monica gave us a beautiful scrapbook - a year in review of Abby's life so far. I was blown away to say the least! I cannot imagine how many hours of work, love, and sweat went into that. Monica, thank you again.

We had a nice visit with Great Grandma & Grandpa too. In the evening we showed Abby how to feed ducks. While she did find this interesting, she ate the bread instead of throwing it. :)

Saturday, we met up with Mimi (my mom), and went to Aunt Amy's baby shower. This was a fun day for Abby to meet many of our family friends. That afternoon, we went to Mimi's place for a nap and a picnic dinner. Abby ran all over the place and practiced giving out hugs and kisses.

Sunday was a very busy day. We traveled down to Tucson for Great Grandma Coatsworth's 90th Birthday party. This was a family reunion where we got to see family who I haven't seen in YEARS. It was great. I was so proud to show off my cute baby girl. She sure charmed the crowd with her confident and sweet personality.

It was challenging for me to travel alone with Abby. She was a squirmy little bugger on the plane as a lap child but did fabulously when she had her own seat on the way home. She is of the age of separation anxiety.... enough said - a little rough at times. Sleep was not as easy either, but overall, she was a really, really a great traveler (certainly amazing for a 13 month old). She is the type to go with the flow. She's a versatile eater, a charmer, and a ham! Brian missed us so much, and he was amazed at all she'd learned in the 5 days we were away from him.

Eskimo kisses (and just kisses in general) are definitely "in" around here. She gives hugs while patting gently on your back. She loves her dolls, dogs, and (of course) her sleepy fox. Her new pose is to stand (and walk) with her hands neatly held behind her back, especially when she's up to no good. She started saying, "dis" = "this" while pointing. She's still working on animal sounds, but clearly does not always perform on command. Never thought I'd say this, but she's sitting quietly to read books and is learning imaginative play. Tonight she was being super silly and started crawling again, which cracked her up.

All around, it's fun times here in the McFarlane home. I'd like to promise you that I will blog more often. I certainly can't do that with my crazy, hectic, "last minute" lifestyle, but I will try! It's fun to share our family stories with you all.

I just posted over 200 photos of our trip - enjoy!

Love,

Diana

Video Chat With Great Grandma/Grandpa

2009-01-25T19:35:00.000-08:00

Today Abby got to run around and play while Great Grandma and Grandpa watched. She was very excited to bring toys over to the computer screen and "show" them what she had. You could tell that she was excited to see them. And on the reverse side, you could tell how excited they were to see Abby.

It was fun the watch the three of them play together, you could tell there was happiness in the air.

Winter Wonderland

2008-12-19T21:58:00.000-08:00

Seattle is completely covered in snow after storms yesterday blanketed the city in 6-8" of beautiful snow. The view out of front picture window is so pretty. I can't wait to see tomorrow am at sunrise - I bet it's going to be so gorgeous.

My commute was such an adventure. Downtown Seattle is full of hills, so my buses were getting stuck on ice, behind abandoned cars, and on steep inclines. What a joke. I finally arrived home after 2 1/2 hours of waiting and mostly walking home. I could have jogged home quicker than that!

Today, I wore my hiking boots to work, and thankfully Brian was able to pick me up in the afternoon. What an experience!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-29T11:58:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving day here at home. Our good friends, Amy, Todd, and Anna Caine came over for the day to play, eat, and hang out. The girls had fun playing together. Anna is about 4 months older than Abby. It was a very enjoyable day.

This weekend we (and in I, Diana) got the house decorated for Christmas - put up the tree (Brian helped put up ornaments), decorations, and even some pretty lights around the front door, a bush, and front window. It's fun. I'm thinking about buying an extension ladder and LED outdoor lights to run some more along the front of the house. I'm not planning on going "McFarlane crazy" on lights, but I've always loved the look of Christmas lights.

So far, we've done all of our shopping online for Christmas gifts. I'm probably going to do all of it online this year. It is so convenient. I've never been a fan of fighting the crowds for retail.

Tis the Season!!!

Rainy days, walking, and talking

2008-11-12T17:51:00.000-08:00

Winter is hear with lots of rainy days and early dark evenings. It feels like it's time to go to bed when you get home from work. The dogs aren't getting as many walks which makes me feel really guilty.

I just had to share with you all that Abby just took 5 steps from the sofa to me in the middle of the room. Can you believe this is really happening? She also is saying a lot of "dadadada" and knows when Daddy is around, that she can call him by name. I just asked her, "where is Daddy?", and she looked around the room for Brian. She also says "bao" for book and "da" for dogs! So fun.

Lost Wallet Blues - Found it

2008-11-09T14:55:00.000-08:00

I just have to post that I'm freaking out b/c I lost my wallet. Please sent a prayer out for me that it turns up or that some good samaritan turns it in. Just after shopping yesterday, I had it in my purse, went to Tatum's party, then home. I looked for it this morning, and it's not in my purse, Jill can't find it at their house, and it's no where to be found in the car, under couches, my jacket, etc. Luckily there are no fraudulent uses yet, and I canceled the cards today. Bad news is that my VERY expensive bus pass is in there, one that I will have to pay full price for if I don't find it. My drivers license is in there too. Agghhhh.....

This is a sickening feeling.

Just returned from the grocery store where I had to beg the cashier to let me use a check without my ID because I still hadn't found my wallet. I still had this nagging sick feeling about it. Finally, I realized as I was hugging and laughing with Abby that I was so lucky to have this beam of joy in my life, that I am so fortunate that a lost wallet would be so upsetting to me in comparison to other possible problems that I don't have. Well, giving up the dread of losing my wallet must have done the trick! Because, sure enough, when I got back in my car, I thought, "You know, I already looked in the crack between the seat and the console, but it could have slipped down there..." and there it was, way down at the bottom. I don't know how I missed it before! Yeah!!!!

Now I just have to call and UN-cancel all my credit cards :)

Shopping day

2008-11-08T13:58:00.000-08:00

Abby and I went shopping today. Since Brian is out of town, we decided to hit U Village for some girl time. Abby got a cute brown bomber jacket with a fur hood - she couldn't resist. For me, I finally bought a new black belt that I've been needing for ages and a cute new outfit for work.

After a quick snack of crackers and cheese, we played with the water fountain, which Abby promptly tried to drink from! I am trying to take her picture while also pulling her back from the water.

She's down for her afternoon nap (1 1/2 hours so far). We'll leave for Tatum's birthday party after she wakes up.

What's new?

2008-11-05T17:37:00.000-08:00

Lots around here! Abby is as busy as ever. You should see me trying to put on socks, pull that long hair into a ribbon,- or wrangle her to the floor for a diaper change. This girl is strong, and she has an opinion that she is very clear about - don't slow me down! I often hear Brian happily wrestling her into a new diaper, "Abby, stay still for Daddy for just a minute".

Abby's new developments include taking her first steps!!! So exciting. She is a super fast crawler. She makes elephant noises, babbles while fanning her own lips, makes lots of consonant sounds - baba, dada, mama, yaya. She's into books, baths, the dogs, and leaves.... interested in nature for sure. She loves to dance. She bounces up and down very slowly when music comes on. She likes to "hug" and "kiss" everything to - which involves resting her head on your shoulder or on a blanket, dog, or stuffed animal and giving mouth wide open kisses on your nose!

Abby was a little piglet on Halloween, so cute! She went trick-or-treating with Mommy, Daddy, and the Nyquists (our friends up the road with two boys). We went to a Halloween party the weekend before along with our moms group.

2 weeks ago we went on a big hike to Mt Rainier. We took Abby in the hiking backpack along with our snowshoes, hiking poles, warm clothes, food etc. About two hours into it, we stopped for lunch. Abby got to crawl around in the snow and loved it! She liked to try to eat the snow. We had so much fun. Several hikers stopped to visit with us so they could see our cute baby.

Today was Tatum's first birthday, and our nanny and the girls went along to the Children's Museum downtown for some fun along with Tatum's mom, Jill. They had a great time. Abby loved the acquarium. Jerri said she had so much fun and just was so worn out by the end of their day.

Last night we went to an election party and watched as the news came in about the presidential winner came in. We listened to John McCain's humble and respectful speech, followed by President-elect Obama's heart warming and encouraging speech. Wow, it was quite an experience. Abby slept through the whole thing like a champ.

Well, off to start dinner. We've been doing a great job of having family dinners pretty frequently around here. Abby's starting to eat table foods with us. Overall, I guess the update for you all is that we are a busy, happy family lately, enjoying each other, the outdoors, and our dogs. Oh ya, I guess we are working too, but only when we have to! Miss you all soooo much!

Love,

Diana

A positive change for America and the world

2008-11-04T22:01:00.001-08:00

We are so happy that Barack Obama won! Even Abby did a little victory dance - OK, so technically she was sleeping when the results came in, but I swear I saw her smile!

The Hardest Thing I Have Done So Far

2008-09-08T11:15:00.000-07:00

Three days ago, I began the hardest journey I have ever taken. Climbing Mount Rainier had been in my sights and every thought for almost a year now. On Friday morning, the weather was great and the climb started up to Camp Muir. Deciding to save 6.5lbs in my pack, I opted to not bring a second pair of boots. I simply wore my double plastic climbing boots the entire route. The first 2 or 3 thousand feet up played havoc on my feet. There were "hot spots" well established on each heel. After duct taping our feet, our party continued up the snow fields. About an hour outside of Muir, just below Anvil rock (the site that the hiker died at earlier this year) we were pulling our packs off to take a break. The clouds had rolled in on us and visibility was only about 30 feet. Out of nowhere a gust of wind came from the east across the mountain and took 1/2 of our party to its knees. Not a second latter the wind reversed directions 180 degrees and blew the other way at 50mph. Anyone who was still standing was immediately thrown to the ground, including myself. After a quick checkin, we were lucky to have only lost a few hats to the wind. The climb up the ice continued slowly, as small streams of water cut cracks into the glacier and poured into cravases under our feet. Camp Muir within sight was just a few minutes away.

Once at Muir with our bags unpacked and food in the furnace, we were off to sleep. I awoke somewhere around 9:30PM and went out to go and look around. I was amazed to see that the clouds that previously engulfed us had dissipated. A quarter moon dimly lit the skyline highlighting Mount Adams while the city lights of Portland provided the back lighting to Mount St. Helens. The stars were shining brightly and there was barley even a breeze. It felt as if it took me days just sitting there above 10,000 feet to take it all in. It was breathtaking.

The next morning we started off with a good breakfast and began our mountaineering 101 course. I must say, this was the first time anyone has ever taught me how to breath and walk. Who knew - I had been doing both simple things wrong this whole time. With ice ax in hand we were learning the crucial maneuvers for anchoring a falling team member. After "mastering" team arrest and self arrest we packed our bags and began the journey up to high camp and the Ingram Flats. Crossing over the Cowlitz Glacier cravases using natural snow bridges and hurrying through rock fall areas, we had reached cathedral gap. This steep section of scree and boulders is known for its dangers rock falls, and having whitened about a dozen of them, I did not argue when the guides demanded double time out of us. Safely through the gap we were short of an hour from our high camp at the flats. A good meal down and a great view prepared me to wake up at around 1:00AM for the next morning's summit attempt.

Thus far, the trip had not been strenuous or tiring for me, my 8 months of training had gone to good use. The altitude now at around 11,200 feet wasn't bothering me at all. My Mount Adams trip had been paying off. Out of the tent and tied up to my rope team, we were climbing by 2:00AM. Following the line of headlamps up the mountain, we soon hit disappointment cleaver. This is where things got tough. Backing up a bit, it is probably relevant to tell you that I am deathly afraid of heights. Scrambling in the dark up a rock face with huge drop offs to ether side, we were on our way up the cleaver. I was doing ok with the heights, until about an hour and a half into the cleaver. There was a section where the only thing holding me to the mountain side was a crampon toe pick on each foot and my grip to the rocks above. I was vertical. Still pitch black, the wind howling in my ears - I remembered the huge wind gusts from the previous day and how they had knocked me off my feet. My heart skipped a beat. "What if this happened right now", I thought. "Would the ropes hold if I fell?" "How was I going to get back down?". The worst thing had happened to me. Doubt entered my mind. I had lost my rhythm.

Another half hour and we were off the cleaver. We took a short break to refuel - and that is when the nausea set in. Snickers bar, trail mix, gorp, sausage - nothing would go down. I couldn't eat anything. We had been climbing the most difficult climb of my life - I was using muscles I didn't even know I had - and all I had in my stomach was a small bowl of oatmeal. Even that constantly felt moments away from abandoning me. Informing my team of my status, they offered encouraging words and hard candy. Four jelly beans finally made it down. That gave me the mental boost I needed to keep going. So I packed up, head pounding and stomach tearing me apart.

Shortly after we began climbing, I realized my energy was going down hill fast. I wasn't breathing correctly, and my climb had turned into a stumble. "Find your rhythm Brian!", a teammate yelled. My brain woke up again and remembered the lessens of the day before. Kick Step Breath Kick Step Breath Kick Step Breath. I was lost in this pattern for what seamed a century.

Twenty Minutes. Not a century, but twenty minutes is all this bought me. Reality kicked in. It was all I could do to lift my foot, I was falling behind on my rope team. The cleaver entered my mind - how was I going to get back down? "I think I ran out of steam boss." I yelled to the guide. His encouraging words gave me a few more steps. "How much further?" I yelled through the howling wind. Terrified of the response I waited. Eight months of training, thousands of dollars, so much dedication, 3 solid days of climbing had brought me to this spot. If the answer came back too big - what would I do? "About 2 hours." came the response.

My stomach was twisting and completely empty, my body freezing, and head pounding. I pulled every last amount of energy I had for each step. I felt completely and utterly physically, mentally, and emotionally drained. There was absolutely nothing left. As I looked up, the sunrise was just about to crest to the summit some 1,500 feet above me. And I knew - I was done.

I had used all off my energy to make it to 13,000 feet - my final destination. I had nothing more to get down. Coiling the ropes up, and re-grouping I realized that this whole time since last break, being so inwardly focused I had been oblivious to my rope teams status. When news broke that I had to turn, another of my team decided she would have to call it as well. Looking at the sadness in her face, I knew she saw the same in mine. Just then - it hit me like a ton of bricks. The reality of it all had set in. This was it - I was truly done. I wasn't going to make it. So much emotion and physical exhaustion forced a tear from my eye. When my climbing parter saw - she broke down. Just then she lost her balance, and my hand sprung to the rope to catch it. While it was nothing more than a wobble the shot of adrenaline this gave me was just enough to get me going back down.

Freezing, nauseous, and exhausted I took each step slowly. Feeling defeated I took one step after the other, back down the mountain towards disappointment cleaver. I knew then, how it must have gotten its name. The summit shining now in the sunrise however made me smile. Now instead of a jagged cliff, I saw a beautiful rock formation. Instead of a cravase to avoid - I saw beauty in nature. Thinking through the past three days - I had seen and learned so much. It had been an amazing trip. I realized I was still having the time of my life.

While my pace was slow, I had excitement in my heart. I was well above the clouds watching the sun come up over Eastern Washington. I was on top of the world. Coming down the cleaver was challenging as I expected - but with each successful step down I grew more confident - and energy filled my heart. I was having the time of my life. Hurrying past rock fall areas and passing other teams on their way up, we were soon back at high camp - the flats. When we arrived back at 9:00AM, I took a quick one hour power nap and woke up a new man. My headache was gone, my stomach back to normal and loads of energy. I scarfed down a bunch of food and prepared to head back to camp Muir.

From that point forward, the word slow was not in my vocabulary. I was wide eyed and cruzin'. I had energy and was destined to enjoy the rest of the day. As we had a few extra hours before the others would meet up with us, we explored rock fall and looked down some huge crevasses. Once the others had caught up with us, we swapped stories and prepared for the last 5 hours of the day's 14 hour climb. As we went down the Muir snow fields, I decided it was time to do some glissading. I was having so much fun, that hitting or not hitting the summit seamed trivial. After shoe skiing and glissading to the bottom of the snow fields we hit the trail once again. This trail seamed like a distant memory. Using my newly found walking skills we were soon at the parking lot.

That night, sitting at a bar in Ashford, WA with newly found friends, we laughed and shared stories of the trip. And most importantly, we made plans for next season's summit attempt. Training starts next week.

Brian made it home!

2008-09-07T23:12:00.001-07:00

I'll let Brian tell his Mt Rainier story, but he made it home safe. He had a great time! We are uploading pictures now.

Family reunion

2008-09-07T07:17:00.001-07:00

IMG 4792
Originally uploaded by samspade21

We had a nice trip to AZ for our yearly family reunion. http://www.flickr.com/photos/bdfamily/sets/72157607138341131/

We started off at Brian's parent's house in Gilbert where we saw his grand parents and some of our friends. We went swimming a couple of times - Abby liked splashing in the water. She was all smiles for her grandparents who where so happy to have her around (I think they liked seeing us too, but we can't be sure).

We spent the long Labor Day weekend with my family in Greer. It was our seventh year at the cabin. Our family now has 16 members!!! We're getting a bit big for the cabin, but we had a blast. We went hiking, to the duck pond, on walks. We played games, visited, and ate great food.

Abby learned to crawl, got her second tooth, pushed herself up to sitting and then standing, and said her first consonant sound ("ba) all in short time we were gone! Amazing.

Where is Brian now?

2008-09-07T06:35:00.000-07:00

It's sunrise here in Seattle. Abby and I got up to see where Daddy is now. From our front picture window we gazed out to southern Washington to try to see the mountain. Although we don't know for sure, he is likely at or nearing the summit of Mt Rainier (http://www.nps.gov/mora/). I am filled with excitement and pride for my husband who today is checking off the biggest "to do" on his life list so far.

He began training for this hike shortly after Abby was born. I like to tell how she helped him train. When she was so still so young (several weeks old), he wrapped her up in her Moby and took her and the dogs along with him on his treks. Their first trip was snowshoeing. I thought he was crazy to take our young daughter out like that, but she took to it right away. They began what we termed "Mt Si Mondays" - each Monday while I went off to work, the four of them headed out to hike. He'd stop along the way to change her diaper or give her a bottle. She would babble and coo while bobbing along with her dad. When she became sleepy, she'd just slump to the side and sleep. Brian would often hold her forehead while she dozed so it wasn't so floppy. Other hikers would stop to comment on our cute baby or lovely dogs. I was able to join them on a few hikes as well. At some point this summer his hikes became too long for little Abby to continue going on (even too much for the dogs at times), so he had to go alone or with friends. Late this summer he and two friends went to Mt Adams (http://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/recreation/mount-adams/) for a weekend of training and trying out equipment.

Brian left 4 days ago to join his mountaineering group for the big Mt Rainier trip. He's been collecting high end mountaineering gear all year long. They started on Friday, starting from 5000 and hiking up to 10000 feet to a place called Camp Muir where they spent the night. The next day the group did some mountaineering safety and technique training, climbed another 1000 feet then spent the night. Sometime in the very early morning hours (2am?) this morning they got up and started the climb to the summit by moon light and head lamps. He should at the summit (14410 feet elevation) now. The temperature is 27 degrees with a northerly wind of 14 mph. Not bad!

I am here at home, looking at the mountain, hoping he is safe, warm, but most of all happy and grateful for this neat opportunity. I am so proud of him. I will be anxious today to hear from him and so excited to have him back at home.

Can you count the rolls?

2008-08-17T23:42:00.001-07:00

Did you imagine it possible that Abby could have even more rolls? Well, it appears that she does! I hadn't taken any naked pictures of her lately, so I did tonight. She'll be mad at me when she's old enough to understand that I posted this online.... :)

And look at that curly hair, how cute.

2008-08-17T23:07:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful time visiting with Aunt Sheryl and Cloe today. They came through Seattle on their way down to Oregon for vacation and will stay the night tonight. It was a hot day today but be kept cool with lots of fans, open windows, and porch time. Abby loved playing the piano for the first time with Aunt Sheryl. I think we may have a prodigy on our hands.

We made a delicious salmon dinner and played games after Abby went to bed. Cloe and Sheryl proved to be quick learners when we taught them to play Bananagrams and Bang! It was fun. In fact, Brian are still playing Bang! after over an hour!

Abby is working really hard on crawling. She's made a few little movements forward - baby proofing, here we come! She can scoot around quite a bit when she's on her back, especially when on hard wood. This morning, I turned my attention away for just one moment and found that she had scooted herself (on her back) underneath the pack-n-play! She was just beaming, having a blast with it! :) She also does yoga poses like 'down dog' where she straightens her legs, goes on her tippy toes and sticks her but up in the air. So cute!! This little girl is ready to move. In fact, it's nearly impossible to hold her theses days. She is constantly squirming, pushing off, trying to stand. Beware - anything is a handle for her including skin, hair, cheeks, dog ears, etc. What fun.

Best Buds

2008-08-15T17:06:00.000-07:00

Abby and Tatum are having so much fun together. They get excited to see each other each day and gab constantly. Jerri (our nanny) says they're most talkative in the morning. They don't fight over toys (yet). A lot of times, they rub their foreheads together when they're playing.

Today was a hot one in Seattle - temps in the 90's the past couple days. Therefore, I found Abby and Tatum dressed only in their diapers when I came home from work. So cute! Two rolly polly babies happily playing together.

Abby just learned how to pull Tatum's hair - and Tatum doesn't like it! :) Pay back for those days when Tatum would pull Abby's. They've developed quite a cute friendship, often playing on each other's moods and actions. They are a ton of fun!

Love at first sight

2008-07-05T12:00:00.001-07:00

IMG_1691_2
Originally uploaded by samspade21

What an exciting day! Abby got to meet her Great Grandma and Grandpa McCulley as well as her Great Uncle Rawley and Aunt Sandy. Abby and I flew down to AZ for Memorial Day weekend to visit our family. She did great on her first flight. She was the center of attention, getting to meet all of her cousins and see all of her grandmas, grandpas, aunts, and uncles. My sister, Heather, was so nice to open up her house to not only Abby and I but Brian's family as well. It was a really special occasion for everyone to play with Abby.

Grandpa McCulley sang silly songs to Abby who was just smiling at the joy that he exudes all the time. She sweetly gave Grandma lots of hugs and smiles too. Proud Grandma and Grandpa McFarlane were beaming with love for their first grandchild. It was a neat day.

We'll be going back next week to my good friend Judy's graduation from Naturopathic Medical school. I'm excited for the trip! We'll be staying with Grandma and Grandpa McFarlane. They are planning to babysit Abby while I go to the graduation and are busily preparing for the task.

-Diana