Photo Shoot

A friend of ours in the ward, Kelly Landin, took some family pictures of McKay and me this past weekend. We absolutely love them! She did such a wonderful job and definitely has a talent for photography. Thank you Kelly! Which one is your favorite?

There's no place like home

After being so busy this summer, we are soooooooooo ready to just be home. We have had so much fun traveling this summer and building such fun memories with our families and friends. We are looking forward to one more trip to Utah in September. But in the meantime, we are looking forward to not having any agendas and sleeping in on Saturday!

Cannon Beach!

Every year for the past I can't remember, my family has gone to Cannon Beach, OR during the summer. It has become one of my favorite places! McKay and I were in desperate need of some R&R. This year, we went on a lot of hikes, including perhaps the hardest hike of my life - straight uphill for a long, long time. I was pretty sure we weren't going to all make it. But the view at the end was worth all the huffin and puffin. There was nothing but open ocean that seemed to go on forever. In the middle of the water was a huge rock with a really cool lighthouse on it. And it was downhill all the way back. I think our record miles set for one day of walking was 13 or so. My mom kept us moving!

Bellevue and Mariners Game

One of the things McKay had wanted to do this summer was go to a Mariners game. So for his birthday, my parents gave him Mariners tickets! We had so much fun with my family in Bellevue. I love the shopping! If you are ever there you much check out the Martin + Osa store in the mall downtown. A bit pricey, But I love, love, love their clothes. I could buy the whole store. The boys had fun at the Mariners game and the girls went to the Cheesecake factory. I love their Luau salad!

Boundary Damn Campground

Our ward had an elder's quorum campout this past month at Boundary damn campground, right by the Canada border. We had so much fun camping with all of our friends! We toured the damn and also got to explore this underground cave. From the cave you could walk to the Canada border through a forest, which we did of course. When we made it to the border, and looked at the mountainside, there was a straight and random line through the trees. Well that's one way to mark your territory, I suppose. We loved playing with all of the kids too!

Ohanepecosh Campground

This past weekend we took a trip up to a campground at the base of Mt. Raineer that my family camped at every year with my grandparents when I was younger. With the passing of my Grandpa Febus almost a year ago, we went as a family to celebrate and remember his life. I couldn't have asked for a better grandpa! I miss him everyday and cannot wait for the sweet reunion of when I will see him again. While there we hiked up to Silver Falls and played around on the rocks at the top of the waterfall. I remember the hike being a lot longer when I was little!

McKay's Birthday!

We celebrated the first quarter of a century of McKay's life, which he says "Was not that bad". His only request was that he wanted a nice steak dinner - so selfless considering I have a spreadsheet of wants prepared by the time my birthday comes along. He got his steak dinner and then some. He was excited about all his gifts but won't stop talking about the tickets he got to watch the Mariners play the Yankees. It's coming up this weekend!

Random Observations About Stuff - McKay Allen

Random Observations About Stuff McKay Allen July 24, 2009 2:54 pm


First – Summer is going by really fast. It seems to go by faster every single year. Perhaps when I am, like 75, it will only last a few hours.
Second – It seems really hot to me this summer. Maybe 9 months of eternal snows and the worst winter in the history of Spokane make it seem really hot this summer. Or maybe I am being wimpy. Or maybe it is really hot.
Third – I find myself saying phrases that my dad says more and more. When I listen to my voice on tape–which, I do everyday–I find myself sounding more and more like him. That’s not bad. My dad’s the man. Its just a little weird.
Fourth – I was thinking about my life 5 years ago and how much has changed since then. Pretty much everything. I wonder what life will be like 5 years from now.
Fifth – I eat crap at restaurants I wouldn’t eat at home. For instance: if I get served green beans at a restaurant along with a steak or something I will eat those green beans. At home, I despise green beans and wouldn’t dream of eating them. Another example is bread. Who just goes home and eats bread? Not me. But, yet at restaurants I eat my weight in bread before the entree even arrives. Weird. Really weird.
AKPC_IDS += "3919,";

Biking the Hiawatha Trail

Just one of many bridges we got to go over.




A couple of weekends ago, McKay and I decided we wanted to bike the Hiawatha Trail on the Idaho/Montana border. The trail used to be used by trains and was the only way through the northwest to the eastern states. Since then , they have ripped up the train tracks and have turned it into a bike trail. You begin the trail by biking through a completely pitch black 2 mile tunnel with water trenches lining the sides of the tunnel. I don't quite know how to describe the fear of my life when all you have is this tiny, pathetic headlamp illuminating the ground no more than a foot in front of you. However, the trail was absolutely breathtaking as it wound through trails, tunnels, and over bridges. The views were spectacular and the best part was once we got to the bottom of the trail, we got to ride a shuttle back up!

I did learn something new about my fearless husband. He is quite clumsy on a bike. I suppose it would be quite a challenge to get all 6'5" of his body to operate a bicycle properly. In one of the tunnels, his headlamp went out, causing him to loose his balance and crash into the side of the tunnel which consisted of jagged rocks. He had some macho looking cuts to prove it! Oh the things husbands do for their wives!

Boating at Priest Lake

We got to spend this past weekend at one of the prettiest lakes I have ever seen - Priest Lake! Some friends of ours invited us up to their cabin. We spent all Saturday tubing, boating, and playing in the water. My new goal is to convince my husband that we need a boat by the time I am 30. I love boating! Although we all payed for it the next day.

In case you haven't heard, huckleberries are a big deal in the Northwest. If you have never had a piece of huckleberry pie, you haven't lived.

Other Celebrities - KXLY Blog

I was pondering yesterday as I sporadically watched the gaudy spectacle that doubled as Michael Jackson’s memorial service. I was pondering on something I found interesting. (So interesting in fact that I am blogging about it).

My subject of pondering: What other public figure, in any genre, will generate this kind of worldwide attention (deserved or not) and/or this kind of media attention (deserved or not) when they pass?

Certainly when a former President dies the air waves are deluged with biographies and stories of the man’s life. That’s a big deal. But beyond current or former Presidents, what other celebrity’s passing would cause the world to stop for a few days.

It would have to be a ridiculously famous person. Someone everyone knows, and a fair number of people LOVE. Someone who is more famous than just the average celebrity.

My initial thought was Paul McCartney. When he dies, especially if its somewhat unexpected, that will be a big deal. He’s a Beatle for goodness sake. And he has stayed famous and relatively ”unweird.” (Could that help his cause in our little pondering game, or hurt it?)

What about athletes like Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods? They are certainly figures that transcend their specific profession.

My wife came up with, maybe the best answer I’ve heard, Oprah. She is the one of the richest and most influential women on the planet. She blazed numerous trails and is someone huge numbers of people look up to.

Or maybe this is the pinnacle–no other death, aftermath or memorial service will rise to this level of spectacle again. That’s what some people I’ve spoken to maintain–that no one’s death and life will get this kind of attention, from the media and the public again, ever. Perhaps they are right, but it seems like these things have a way of outdoing themselves over time.

Thoughts?

Yellowstone!

It was so fun being together. This is my favorite picture of the fam.
The park was full of these really cool geysers. Gotta love the smell of sulfur!

The views were breathtaking. I wish I could post them all.

We took these really cool old fashioned photos. This was one of our favorites!

We just got back from a trip with McKay's family to Yellowstone. We had so much fun seeing the wildlife, sites, having old fashioned pictures taken, and hiking. But most of all we enjoyed spending time together as a family. Between hick talk and laughing together, there is never a dull moment with the Allens!

Young Women Baptism

We had three new Young Women get baptized in our ward. We had the chance to sit in on the discussions for Mollie (one with the blonde pony tail). It was such an amazing experience. Stacy is thrilled to have three new Beehives in her class!