This and That...

We had a very busy weekend...

Which involved squeezing in a wedding...

Driving to the Dalles and arriving at 11 pm...

Waking up at 6am...

And driving to Walla Walla only to drive back home the same evening arriving at 10:30 pm...

But it was all worth it...

For one thing I have found the perfect location for either of my boys weddings...

One of my former students was married in a beautiful outdoor ceremony...

The weather was perfect!

Everything was beautifully decorated... 

And there was true love with a happily ever after ending...

I love the look on her face!

She looks like she just got away with something major!

I think this is one of the most beautiful pictures I have ever taken...

Once there were 6 sisters and now there are 3...

All born and raised in West Tennessee...

I got excited there because I had the beginnings of a poem...

but that's all I got...

Anyway, from left to right

Jix lives in New Mexico and she is 95 (her real name is Edith)

Grammy, as I know her is 92 - she is called Preacher by her family a nickname her dad gave her when she went to a campmeeting at age 5 and came home and rolled around on the floor saying she was a "Holy Roly Preacher" :) Her real name is Jose Lucille Fry - but no one calls her Jose she has always gone by Lucille....(I really like the name Jose)

and finally the baby of the family and her daddy's last hope for a boy...Johnnie is 88...

That's her real name Johnnie...she hated having a boys name growing up...

I love it!

And I love each and everyone one of these precious women...

It is a delight to be in the same room listening to them share stories of their childhood...

Jix still complains about the time she got a spanking because she stepped on preacher's toes...

Accusing preacher of playing it up "it didn't hurt you none!" she said :)

Johnnie and her husband Ray live in West Tenn.

Jix has been widowed a long time and lives in New Mexico...

Johnnie and Ray drove out with a nephew of theirs and swung by New Mexico and picked up Jix on their way to Washington...

These girls know full well that this will most likely be the last time they are together her on this earth...

Bitter sweet...

Of course we also traveled to Walla Wall to visit our son...

We were excited that he had a home game...

We haven't had the chance to watch him play on his new college team...

So at 4 O'clock we plunked ourselves down on the sidelines to watch him play...

He didn't :(

Life is different at the college level...

No longer the superstar he was in highschool he has to pay his dues...

I wanted to march over to the coach and demand he put Josh in...

Good thing Jeff was there to hold me back...

This picture cracks me up!

He was worth the drive anyway...

Frychik

Toe nails...

So yesterday after I posted my blog I decided to go for a run...
So because I was going for a run I did not shower and just threw on my running shorts, put on my sports bra and then suddenly decided I should cut my toenails...

Turns out that was a HUGE mistake...

I successfully cut the nails on my left foot...
I accomplish this task in the bathroom standing up with one foot up on the counter as I balance with the other foot on the floor...

I had switched feet and was working on my big toe of my right foot...
Suddenly I had EXCRUCIATING pain on the right side of my back that literally dropped me to my knees...
Unfortunately this pain was familiar...

17 years ago the same thing happened to me when I was lifting Joshua out of his high chair in Tenn....

I was in so much pain I could not move...
I was home alone in my bathroom, no phone, no shirt...
I knew there was a phone about 10 feet away from me up on the nightstand...

It took me 10 min to crawl those 10 feet and with ridiculous effort I was finally able to lift my arm enough to grab the phone...but this is the house phone and it doesn't have any numbers in it...I could only call the numbers I knew...

Jeff was 40 min away...
My mom was an option but I wasn't sure where she was or if she could get me to the car...
I have a friend who is a massage therapist but I don't know his number...

Should I call 911?

How embarrassing would that be!

I decided I could call the school because my friend (the massage therapist) is a parent and they would have his number...
Thankfully he was reached and in my house helping me a mere 25 min after I first hit the floor...
Yes, I was on the floor on my hands and knees for 25 min before help came and then it took another 15 min to get me in a standing position...

This sucks!
I was so thankful that I didn't have to get into a car and go through the excruciating processes of going to the doctor etc...
My mom came and calls were made flexiral was picked up and all that could be done was done...

Now I just have to wait and "take it easy" until I feel better...
Which sucks!

I managed to drive Tyler to school this morning so that is huge improvement!
We are planning to drive to Walla Walla this weekend so I hope I can handle it...

And all because I decided to cut my toenails...
Which by the way my right foot stills needs to be done... :)

Frychik

Wandering - its good for you

So I really enjoyed my running away day...

For the most part I was able to escape from the topics I have been 

stewing over and just concentrate on the details around me...

There is something very cathartic about roaming free with my camera...

I am a social person and easily get depressed when I'm alone too much...

But when I have my camera and I'm focusing on what is around me I don't have time to think about anything else...

Is it creepy that I took a picture of this girl and she had no idea?

I left the house around 7:15 and arrived in Astoria around 9:30...

It was overcast when I first arrived...

Astoria is a place I have been through many, many times...

It a place we drive through on the way to the beach...

It has never been the destination...

So it was fun to wander along the water discovering what was there...

After about an hour there was nothing but sunshine...

I wished I had a boat...

I didn't see any for hire...

I wanted an Art Wolfe opportunity...

Wherever he travels he always has boats, helicopters, planes whatever at his disposal so he can get the shot...

This baby was right beside the road...

I was able to pull over get out of my car and walk up to her/him...

Mom was near by...but they weren't concerned with me..

I eventually wandered across the bridge to Oregon and visited both North Head Lighthouse and Cape Disappointment Lighthouse...

When I arrived it was foggy...

But I kinda am loving the black and white thing right now and fog is perfect for that...

Even though it was foggy it wasn't cold...

Which made wandering very comfortable...

I found trails I had never hiked on before...

Wandering...

Its good for the soul...

One of the trails led me down to this lovely beach...

I had it all to myself...

It was sunny, warm, calm and amazing...

I was very thankful to have that time...

And honestly I did not want to come home...

Except that I missed my boys...

They have a serious hold on me :)

I am trying to embrace the time I have...

Its difficult...

I HATE the question "so what are you doing with yourself now?"

Because I just don't know...

But I'm learning to be ok with that...

I'm learning to appreciate what I have right now and make the best of it...

not feel guilty about it..

My brother-in-law sent me this text yesterday...

"I will be glad and rejoice in your love, for you saw my affliction and know the anguish of my soul. You have not handed me over to the enemy but have set my feet in a spacious place" 

Psalm 31:7,8

Frychik

Running Away...

So needless to say I have been very disheartened by the turn of events regarding my employment or lack of...
It has left me aimless...
In an attempt to pull myself out of my funk I am going to try and do the things I always wanted to do but couldn't because I had a job...

Those I spill my guts to continue to assure me that God has a plan...
As I wait...
I figure I might as well take advantage of my time...

One of those things is wandering with my camera...
Today I am leaving bright and early to head to Astoria with my camera...
I don't know were I will end up I am going to go wherever on a whim...
Shooting whatever captures my fancy...

I am not gonna rush...
worry about anything or anyone...
I'm just gonna do my thing with my camera for the day...

I will also be very happy that I am not in a classroom on a glorious sunny day...
I will revel in that all week as the temperatures are predicted to soar...

Thank you for words of encouragement...
I am well aware that there are many others struggle with what life is handing them...
Its easy to focus on the negative...

But despite life's disappointments...
There is beauty and blessings to focus on... :)

Wishing a beautiful blessed day for you!

Frychik

Explorers...

I'm happiest when I'm doing something or exploring something I have never done/seen before...

This is not news to those who know me but I just thought I would put it out there...

It helps you understand why something like the trip we took Monday made me so happy...

This is Mt. St. Helens from the North Eastern side...

On any sunny day I can easily see this mountain from my neighborhood...

But I look at it from the South side...

The side that was not blown out when this baby erupted in 1980...

I remember that day clearly and it disturbs me greatly that it was 33 years ago...

I don't like it that I'm old enough to remember "clearly" things that happened 33 years ago!

The blast knocked over thousands (millions?) of trees in an instant...

Many of them still laying where they fell all in the same direction which looks pretty cool...

Many of those that were to the north of Spirit lake were dragged into the lake when the water from the lake was pushed up 800 feet and then dragged many of the trees back into the water....

The lake is full of these beautiful floating logs...

I had never been up to Windy Ridge...

It is almost 3 hours of windy roads....but I have to say it was totally worth it....

We first hiked up a trail from Windy Ridge which over looked Spirit Lake...

Besides amazing views of the lake (better pictures can be found at shellyfryphotography.com) 

we also saw eagles, elk, and the coolest, was on the road, a bobcat crossed right in front of us!

I so wish I could have gotten a picture of him!

This is a water fall way up on the volcano...

you can see the devastation its just ash and rock and then this beautiful waterfall in the middle of it...

I wish we could have hiked to it but its "not allowed"...

Bald Eagle...

I'm not a bird fan but these guys are cool!

We saw two bull elk butting heads...

I love nature...

After we thoroughly explored Windy Ridge we drove back down the road a bit to the Harmony trail head and hiked down to Spirit Lake...

It was gorgeous!

We were the only ones there and it was so quiet and serene...

The logs were cool to explore and walk around on...

Really an amazing place...

I highly recommend it!

Amazingly peaceful for a place that experienced so much violent devastation...

The lake is clear and beautiful now...

Frychik

A sunny day at the beach...

This last weekend, Labor Day weekend, Joshua came home unexpectedly...
Which was great!
It's nice to know that eventually he does get homesick....

We headed to the beach via Astoria on Saturday...
I had never been up to the Astoria column...only seeing it from below...we decided that we would head up and have our picnic lunch there...

I did not realize that the entire column is a time line with beautiful artwork of historical events from the surrounding area...

There were amazing views of the Columbia river, Astoria, saddle mountain and the coast line from up there!

No wind...blue for miles...it just made me want to live there...
I'm sure Lewis and Clark would have loved to have had a day like this! Since it rained on them the entire year they hung out in this neck of the woods!

Then we headed to Hug Point...a favorite beach of ours and of many others on this day...it is rare to see the Oregon Coast "crowded" which is relative term if you've ever been to the East Coast or California...

There is something so heart warming about seeing Josh and Jeff play catch on the beach...Man I cherish every crumb of family time I can get these days...

The weather was amazing! Warm NO WIND! In fact...we were highly entertained by this man who spent the ENTIRE afternoon trying to fly his kite...I wish I had taken a picture...he just kept trying and trying...it seemed he was forgetting the fact that wind would be necessary for him to be successful...it was entertaining :)

We walked, got our feet wet, played catch, took pictures, walked some more, laid on the blanket, ate lunch leftovers....

Days like these are precious...
And go by entirely to fast...

Josh photo bombed my sunset! But I think it is pretty cool how his head is lined up perfectly...
We used up every last drop of sunshine and good weather before we packed up and headed for home...

Josh left the next day and is now traveling with WWU soccer team.  They played their first game yesterday at PUC and won! Last night he and his team were sleeping on some beach down there...wonder how that went :)

It kills me that I don't get to watch him play soccer anymore... :(  Tomorrow and Sat evening he is playing in Klamath Falls and then he heads back to WWU.  His next games are in Montana...Good grief! But I have scouted two games I plan on seeing.  One in Olympia and one home game in October...I'm just not ready to give up on being his soccer mom yet...

Frychik

Happy Birthday to me....ugh

OK I'm being straight up and telling you that today I turn 

45

How the heck that happened I have no idea...

It just seems like I can't possibly be that close to  50!!!!!

People say you are only as old as you feel...

Well, I don't feel 30 anymore people!

I long for the days of not a care in the world...

The days when it didn't even cross your mind to sit in such a way so that your cellulite is not on display...

Or wonder if what you are wearing makes you look fat, silly, or matches...

I totally remember hanging out at the play ground having a great time when I overheard some

girls discussing how terribly important it was that your socks matched what you were wearing...

WHAT????

I remember looking down at my socks and noticing that my socks in fact did NOT match

the rest of what I was wearing...

I believe that it was up to that moment that I just blissfully pulled out of my drawer whatever was on top

and threw it on as I headed out the door to hours of freedom in the 

great outdoors...

Here I am in my cowgirl purse snatching days...

Oh those were good ol' days!

However, I have found myself beginning to admire the confidence of older women...

Women who have moved gracefully through the matching sock phase...

Women who know who they are and don't care what you think...

Women who have embraced the fact that no they will never have the super model body, hair, or travel schedule...

And they are ok with it!

I have decided I would like to be one of these women...

When I grow up...

Frychik