Off the Beaten Path

Thanks to Jeff and Laura, this weekend was a special one as we were headed to Central Oregon. Last Christmas, they gave us a gift certificate to use for lodging at the Holiday Resort. It is located along the McKenzie River - but they also had a property available to rent in LaPine - (near Sunriver) - and we decided that would be where we would want to go. As you see the pictures John took at a stopping point along the way, it's not hard to tell why would choose this route/end destination:




Before getting to LaPine, however, our first stop was to my grandmother's house (my mom's mom) who lives just outside of Bend. Her birthday was last Sunday, but while the rest of the family went to visit her last weekend, we were at the CCF retreat....so we thought we'd stop by on the way this weekend.

She was very happy to have us, and it was a very encouraging and positive time. She recently had hip surgery, and while she is dealing with a lot less pain now, unfortunately, she's not where she'd hoped to be at this point. Hopefully, she won't need surgery on the other hip.


This is Taj. He is a BEAUTIFUL and BIG German Shepherd. Grandmother and her late husband, Doug, have always had German Shepherds. When Doug died, Taj took over as Grandmother's protector. What an extraordinarily special relationship they have.



Taj was our number one source of entertainment and conversation while we were there....he was delighted with his squeaky ball (note to self - bring new toy for him on our next visit!) and chewed on it or chased it constantly. However, if one of us were to get too close too each other (like put Mikayla on my lap - or especially hug Grandmother) Taj would race over and "tell us off". At first we thought he was just being protective of either me or Mikayla (as he is with Grandmother), but eventually we deduced he pretty much just always wanted to be the center of attention. At any rate, we all loved him.






Grandmother's house has its own pond which ducks frequently claim - there was a pair hanging out there before we left.

After our visit, we had lunch at Red Robin and then headed over to our deluxe "Coyote Castle" - the name of the chalet literally on the banks of the Deschutes River. John wisely took some pictures before we trashed it, I mean "made it our own".





We walked down to the river upon arriving - and then it promptly started raining. No worries, our goal was to hunker down and be cozy inside anyway.




The only hiccup was the lack of wi-fi and major networks. The chalet had satellite tv, but unfortunately that didn't include ABC, NBC, or CBS - which wouldn't have been such a big deal if it weren't for our obsession with seeing our Ducks rise above the teams that might fail to get to #1 in the BCS. It ended up being kind of a blessing though, as it forced us Rileys to kind of stretch out of "usual" and thus make it an even more memorable weekend. I think the highlight was opening the patio door on the second story during the major rain - and falling asleep to the sounds of the storm and the smells of the pine. So cozy!

And as for that storm, well, look what it brought our direction as we got to the top of the pass on the way home. Snow!!! It won't last...but, it's great to see it. We've had a SPECTACULAR Indian Summer here in Oregon, but we all know the wet stuff needs to eventually come our direction, and with me being as seasonal as I am, it just feels like we can't nearly be to November without seeing it get colder and wetter. In a few days, I'll regret that statement, but for today, seeing it snow was really a highlight.
Thanks again Jeff and Laura for the blessing of such an outstanding adventure!

I've Been Tagged from Sara....

If you jump over to Sara's blog, you'll find that she does a lot more creative things than myself with her posts. On Wednesday, she answered some questions she'd been "tagged" with, and then proceeded to tag 7 of us with her own questions. So, I'm game to play - and here are my answers. If you feel like playing, add your answers to your own blog or to the comments!

1. What are you fixing for dinner tonight?
We have kind of a slogan for Fridays - it's called "Fix It Yourself Fridays"....My dinner might just end up being popcorn. =)

2. What is your favorite dish at Thanksgiving?
Does pumpkin pie count? I love the green bean casserole and a salad we make called "Frozen Ambrosia"

3. What are you most thankful for right at this moment?
My amazing family.... I feel so blessed

4. Do you think 50 is the new 40?
Absolutely!

5. What age do you dread the most?
I don't have any particular age that I dread - rather a fear for a time that I would become a burden...

6. If you could have/do anything for your birthday, what would it be?
Be back in Disneyworld like we were last May

7. What kind of cake do you choose for your birthday?
While I will eat cake if it's put in front of me, cake isn't my favorite dessert - I think I'd choose marionberry cobbler.

Happy Friday everyone!

LIfe As We Know It

I knew this week was going to be a little nutty, but now that I'm living it, I find myself just barely staying ahead of the tide. Every night this week has included some event - the AO House panel, going to see the following movie that I'll post about, last night's Pop Warner football game for Brayden (another good reception for Brayden - and some actual yardage gained on a run for him.....AND another win!), and then tonight, our #1 ranked Ducks (I just have to throw that out there whenever I can, while it still applies) face the UCLA Bruins for a 6pm game.

Throw in a sub assignment yesterday and another one today, and life has become a carefully orchestrated symphony of who's picking up what kid afterschool or before a sporting event so that eventually, we all meet up at where we're supposed to be. "Life As We Know It" - nice title for our life right now.....but also the title of the movie our Bible Study group went to see Tuesday night......



I'm so excited that everyone got to go. The movie was well done (in my opinion). It was definitely not a light-hearted romantic comedy - if you know the basic plot line of the movie, it's obvious its got an underlying theme that is quite sad. But, I think we all enjoyed it - along with our popcorn and other goodies that Courtney supplied for us!


I have to say, though - that I missed actually "catching up" with these gals - after the movie when we all went our own ways, I felt like saying - hey, what about this prayer request, or that one? We'll get back to our normal next week, but that longing to connect with them all just proves how much I value this group of amazing women.

Shootin' Straight with the Boys

I'm glad Kaela recently started adding her "name/logo" to the bottom of her images so I don't feel so guilty putting them on my blog - it's pretty obvious who's responsible for the fine photography!

These good-looking gentlemen are this year's residents of the AO House - the house owned by First Baptist church that houses guys on campus at the UO. The second picture shows the leadership group - I know most of the names of those guys....and that's about it.


Despite that fact, Walt (the house manager - at the top of the stairs), asked myself and three other ladies (including my pal, Christy) to sit on a panel for their Monday night meeting (occurring from 10-11pm....yawn!!!) to explain all these guys needed to know in life about women. Ha ha! Well, we did our best.

Mr. Organized (aka Walt), put together an agenda for us to follow - identifying what Christian girls are looking for in Christian men, the differences between men and women, what are the roles of a Christian man in dating vs. marriage, and then imparting wisdom on what we really would want them to know. It was a great thing to be a part of - based on some scenarios of things I witnessed last year, I've been chomping at the bit to give these guys a piece of my mind about making sure they are acting in integrity with the Trinity (or other) women. But, based on last night, I left almost feeling sorry for them - women are so complicated! We challenged those guys to take a risk, be intentional, ask a girl out - but, not to lead her on, etc. But, part of me knows that if a guy were to ask a girl out who lives in a house of 46, word will spread, and before they even go out on that date, folks will have them "married off"......

Ultimately, I got the pieces of "experiential wisdom" imparted on them as I'd hoped to for a while, so I felt like I did what I needed to. Treat these women as sisters in Christ, hold each other accountable for all of the nitty gritty details when dating, listen to others who see "red flags" in the relationship, make your intentions clear, and recognize that with each relationship you have you are setting a standard that should only go up with the next relationship....and finally, DON'T SETTLE!

I fear those guys went to bed more confused than before we came, but hey, that's women!

Kickin' It at the Fall Retreat

Early this afternoon we returned from Camp Tadmor for CCF's Fall Retreat. Personally, it was a rough start to the weekend. I'm still not sure quite what hit me - but on Friday I was under the weather. I tried to coerce each of the kids to stay home with me while the other one went up to Tadmor with Daddy - but, a staying home with a sick mommy could hardly compare to the excitement of the retreat. Direct quote from Brayden, "Sorry, Mom, Tadmor is just too special". Whatever, I see where I rate....

Fortunately, the Rileys get some very first-rate lodging at Camp Tadmor - a regular three bedroom suite with a kitchen and all! So, I literally drug myself through the house once John got home, barked some directions to the kids regarding packing, kept myself as still as possible in attempts to sleep (and not throw up) on the way to the retreat - and "without passing "go"" - hobbled straight into bed upon arrival. I think I can chalk the whole thing up to a migraine as, by the next morning, I was feeling nearly 100% again. (Though, I'm so thankful I have a 12 o'clock appointment with Mom tomorrow - it's been toooo long since I've seen her and my back and neck are letting me know!).

So, anyway, back to the retreat. I have nothing to report about Friday night as I virtually wasn't there....but Kaela snapped a few pictures of Brayden and Mikayla's night time adventures. Despite the name tag, the guy sitting next to Brayden is Walt - not our pastor, Corey Rose. John is showing off Brayden's football pictures.

Can you tell the food was fantastic? This is Saturday morning's breakfast spread.

Mikayla and Walt were constantly "at it" with staring and no-smiling contests


Feeling much better, Mikayla and I started Saturday with a walk around the pond/lake that is the focal point of Tadmor. We ended the stroll with a few pics of her throwing leaves - wish I had more than my little point-and-click when taking these photos


Our speaker was interesting, enlightening, inspiring, and very real - there was absolutely no "looking at the clock" moments while listening to him. (Though, I have to confess, due to the muscle relaxant I took late Friday night - I was dying trying to keep my eyes open during the morning session!). This picture shows our speaker, Alan, and his wife Stacy - on the left - with Jeanne and Corey Rose on the right - our CCF Pastor.
After the first session, there was the annual flag football game, which Mikayla and I watched from the sidelines while John and Brayden actively participated in. Congrats to Brayden for scoring a touchdown.....as for John, let's just say it wasn't his year! =)







I love the fact that there's a Tootsie Pop in my hands....

By not participating, it gives me some good "chat time" with ladies on the sideline - and after this weekend I have more friends to add to my Facebook. =)

During the evening - we were able to tap into a live feed of the Wisconsin vs. Ohio State game. The outcome of that game had huge ramifications for us Ducks - as Ohio State was #1, and we were #2, knock them out - and you know what that means! So, it was a cozy scene - John's computer opened up on a table in the lodge/dining hall - with the big fireplace roaring next to us - and a crowd of college students hovered around.

In general - it was a more subdued crowd that attended - which sometimes can be a good thing. Occasionally, when you have a lot of dominant personalities, there can emerge more cliques and conflicts, and during this retreat - everyone just seemed to blend.

For sure, it was just the sort of weekend I needed to get to know some more of these students, without any pressure attached. It felt good - we left very encouraged.

A couple more not-to-be-missed shots of the kids - Brayden peeking through something - I love that expression on his face.....that IS Brayden.
One of the things CCF does at every retreat is put up encouragement envelopes - Mikayla loves to write to people to encourage them.....(she just loves to write, period! - wonder where she gets it?!)


I think it's fitting that Kaela has the last picture of the set - as she's the one that supplied these amazing images. Thanks for keeping our history alive, Kaela!

If Only For a Week....

It's worth posting, so it will go down in the "Blog Book of Riley History"....

Our Oregon Ducks are #1 in the nation!

Happy Birthday Leona!

Happy birthday to the woman who frequently signs her cards: Mom, Grandma, Mom #2.....aka Leona - John's mom and my beautiful mother-in-law. And I wish her a WONDERFUL day.

Not only did she give birth to John (along with his twin brother at that particular trip to the hospital - and another older brother on another visit!), but she helped form and nurture his character and values which I can never be thankful enough for. Moreover, she was always there for him- in his "naughty" days, and sad days - demonstrating an unconditional love, helping to fill the gaping hole left behind when John's father chose "another life" instead of sticking around to be a dad.

These days, Leona doesn't have to worry about her trouble-making son quite so much.... so now that she's retired from being a math teacher out in Junction City (many people I've run into that had her as their teacher say that she was her favorite.....) - she's free to pursue her passion of antiquing. Which leads me to another great thank-you. If you've even been to our house, or seen pictures of the interior, 90% of the accent furniture or decor in the house is because of her. (All of our coveted trunks, our 50's style kitchen table and the beautiful antique Coca Cola bottle vending machine). It's these pieces that have given our home its signature style - and for us have created such a cozy home. We are so proud to have them - and so thankful for her generosity.

So......Thank You (for all of the above and more), We Love You, and Happy, Happy Birthday Mom, Mom #2, and Grandma!