Pumpkin Patch and Run Like Hell half-marathon

Pumpkin Patch

Ruiz Family Pumpkin Patch 2009

We did the annual family trip to the pumpkin patch this year at yet another place. This one was a bit smaller, but still had plenty of good pumpkins to choose from. I was a nice day to be with the family and we enjoyed our short trip. We were fortunate to find a white pumpkin, in addition to the traditional orange ones. And we even saw several friends at the patch as well.

Maggie with her white pumpkin.

Lanna holding her perfect pumpkin.

Run Like Hell Half-Marathon

The Raccoon Racers ran the Run Like Hell half-marathon and 10k today. Carol and Trish ran the half-marathon (2 hrs 2 minutes) while Cindy and Shannon ran the 10k. It was fun to see the many costumes runners wore and it turned out to be a perfect day for a run. Given that we meet so early in the morning (5:00 a.m.) and it is usually dark, Raccoon Racers seemed a fitting name for our group (although our many encounters with raccoons during our runs is really the reason for the name). We donned our masks for a pre-race picture before heading to the starting line. No, we did not wear our masks during the run for fear of breaking and ankle on the course due to limited vision. The race started at 7:30 in the morning and it was a bit chilly. However, after a mile or two (closer to two) we started to warm up and get into the groove of the run. The half-marathon took us through downtown Portland and then up (and I mean up) into the hills of Portland with a nice view of the Willamette River and Mt. Hood in the distance, before heading back into downtown and the finish line. We have been training for this race for about 3 months and it was satisfying to cross the finish line for one more race completed. With the race behind us, we are all enjoying our afternoon with a well deserved day of relaxing.

Raccoon Racers (left to right) Carol, Trish, Shannon and Cindy

Family Happenings

Summer Canning

Summer seemed to come and go with a blur, and before we knew it, it was time for school to start. We spent a few days/weekends with Nanny making pickle relish and jelly. Since the girls helped do some grinding of the relish ingredients, Lanna stated it is now "our" relish and not "Nans" relish. The girls also did a great deal of raspberry and blackberry picking for the jelly making. Our cupboard is stocked with jars of relish and raspberry and blackberry jelly. I enjoy spending this time with my mom and hope I can pass this experience onto our girls. It's time consuming work, but the rewards are delicious and the girls enjoy reaping the fruits of their labor (actually more Mom and Nan's labor). With fall apples here we will be doing a bit more canning in the near future, with Nanny at the helm, of course.

Nan and Lans straining the relish.

One batch of jelly completed.

Soccer

We are into the full swing of things with school and fall soccer. Now that Dan is a certified referee, he is busy almost all day Saturday with games to ref in between watching the girls play. So far we have been lucky that the girls games schedules have not conflicted, but we know the day will come when we are not so lucky, so for now, we are enjoying it. Lanna's team is still playing strong and winning most (if not all) of their games so far. Maggie is enjoying playing select soccer and getting to know her new teammates. Her team is 2-2 so far and beginning to play well as a team.

Lanna in the goal.

Cispus

Maggie had the joy of attending the Cispus outdoor school for 4 days in September. Carol went to Cispus when she was a 5th grader and was excited for Maggie (and hopefully Lanna) to have this experience as well. We heard many campfire songs and comments about Cispus for weeks, if not months, prior to the trip. One of the things that makes this experience so anticipated is that the entire school comes out to see the 5th graders off. So for 5 years (K-4), Maggie has watched previous classes depart for their trip, dreaming of the day when it would be her turn to go.

Mom and Maggie at the Cispus send-off.

Lanna's class sending off the 5th graders

The experience did not disappoint for her. In fact, it was even better than she imagined. The 5th graders spend 4 days and 3 nights in the Cascade Mountains taking in a multitude of learning experiences such as plant life, wildlife, land forms, wilderness survival, and a long nature hike. They stay in a dorm with 8 students and one high school counselor (whom Maggie absolutely adored), and meet as a group for meals and nightly camp fires. For days afterwards we heard something about Cispus about every 5 mintutes. Talk of Cispus slowly tapered to every few hours, to once a day and now every fews days. It made such an impression on her that she would like to be a counselor when she is in high school.

One of Maggie's Cispus groups.

Posing for a picture at Yellow Jacket Creek.

We are thrilled Maggie had such a great time and are excited for the day Lanna is able to go as well. Lanna enjoyed her time as an only child for a while, but by the last night commented that she missed Maggie. I asked Maggie when she returned if she missed Lanna and she said "No, not really." Well, one out of two is not bad.