Saturday, August 30, 2008
Mountain Biking
We went mountain biking on Thursday and stopped at one of the high points on the trail to check out the view of Corvallis below. It was spectacular riding and really close to our house - so we will be frequenting the extensive trails!
Bouldering
On Wednesday we went bouldering! We hadn't been climbing in a while so it felt really good to be back on rock.
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| Bouldering |
Portland with Maura
After we dropped Rick and Lori off at the airport, we got to spend three days with Maura in Portland as we awaited Indie's arrival (the cat).
We went to the ridiculous Soapbox Derby, where people build their own cars and then race them down Mt. Tabor! It was awesome! Our favorite ones were the "Thanksgiving Turkey Dinner at the Table" Car and "Rock Band on Stage" Car. Moreover, we did a little bit of shopping, went to the Hawthorne Street Fair, a local brewhouse, and a cool vegetarian restaurant where you play Boccie ball while you wait for your food. We also got to see the campus of Lewis and Clark where Maura went to school and we picked a ton of blackberries on the side of the road!
August 16-18
We went to the ridiculous Soapbox Derby, where people build their own cars and then race them down Mt. Tabor! It was awesome! Our favorite ones were the "Thanksgiving Turkey Dinner at the Table" Car and "Rock Band on Stage" Car. Moreover, we did a little bit of shopping, went to the Hawthorne Street Fair, a local brewhouse, and a cool vegetarian restaurant where you play Boccie ball while you wait for your food. We also got to see the campus of Lewis and Clark where Maura went to school and we picked a ton of blackberries on the side of the road!
August 16-18
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| Portland with Maura |
The Coast - Day 3 and House Photos
Day three of the Oregon coast landed us in the sand dunes! It was a surreal experience. They went on forever and we ran and played on them for over an hour! We also saw a lighthouse up close.
At the end of the photo set are a few photos of our house.
Enjoy!
August 15
At the end of the photo set are a few photos of our house.
Enjoy!
August 15
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| Oregon Coast - Day 3 |
Monday, August 25, 2008
The Coast - Day 2
Our second day on the coast we woke up to more fog. We drove into town in Newport and grabbed some breakfast. After spending some time in the little shops we decided to take a short drive down Hwy 101. Little did we know that the fog would lift and we would get sucked into the beauty of the coast! We saw big whales and the tiniest dog ever, gorgeous rugged coastal views, architecturally intriguing bridges, and ended up eating more seafood and spending the night in yet another coastal town. The beauty of spontaneity!
August 14
August 14
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| The Coast - Day 2 |
The Oregon Coast - Day 1
We made it to the coast! After a problem with the radiator in the car that delayed us a couple hours, we finally arrived in Newport. We picked a perfect day for the cool Oregon coast, as the valley was having record highs! Our motel had a private beach access trail that meandered through about 3/4 of mile worth of bizarre greenery that made you feel like you were parading through the jungle. When we actually got to the beach, the fog gave everything an eerie feel...We explored the tide pools and played on rocks before heading back up to our room.
That evening we went down to the Bay Front area and had supper at Mo's. After supper we walked along the boardwalk, explored the docks and a few shops before ending the evening at a Rogue bar where Dave was overwhelmed with his beer options!
August 13
That evening we went down to the Bay Front area and had supper at Mo's. After supper we walked along the boardwalk, explored the docks and a few shops before ending the evening at a Rogue bar where Dave was overwhelmed with his beer options!
August 13
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| The Coast - Day 1 |
A fully functional kitchen
On Wednesday morning we got up and decided to make Swedish pancakes since we had fresh blueberries and a fully functional kitchen! Mom taught Jamie how to make them. We had a slight radiator problem so we were delayed getting to the coast - but we eventually got there and it was beautiful!
August 13
August 13
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| A fully functional kitchen! |
Our House
The big window in the forefront of the photo is our living room. The smaller window on the left side of the photo is our bedroom.
Fixin' and Hangin'
More photos of fixing things, hanging up pictures, and our reward for all our hard work: yummy dinner and microbrews!
Monday, August 11
Monday, August 11
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| Fixin' and Hangin' |
Portland
After we arrived in Corvallis, saw our house, met our landlord and neighbors, unhooked the car from the car dolly, and finagled the big Penske truck into our driveway, we headed north to Portland to pick up Rick from the airport. Since we were in Portland anyway, we decided to spend the next day there and explore a little bit. We ended up at a tea shop.
When we got back to Corvallis on Friday night we did just a tiny bit of unpacking.
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| Portland (picking up Dad) |
When we got back to Corvallis on Friday night we did just a tiny bit of unpacking.
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| Unpacking |
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Driving to Oregon
Dave, Jamie and Lori spent three days driving across Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming, Utah, Idaho, and Oregon to get to Corvallis. We camped along the way and had marvelous scenery!
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| Driving to Oregon |
Kaiser Kids Family Reunion
This year's family reunion was held in St. Joseph, Missouri. We had a great time seeing everyone before we moved!
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| Kaiser Kids Family Reunion 2008 |
Florida Vacation
We made a trip down to Florida to spend a week with Dave's siblings, nieces, and nephews.
We had a great time hanging out, spending time at the beach and pool, playing poker, playing frisbee golf, getting massages, cooking dinners, and exploring Amelia Island!
We had a great time hanging out, spending time at the beach and pool, playing poker, playing frisbee golf, getting massages, cooking dinners, and exploring Amelia Island!
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| Florida Vacation |
Kirk and Katie
Kirk and Katie came over a few times before we left Iowa City. One of these times dance music got put on...and dancing occurred. Here's the evidence.
1 year anniversary
Natalie may be in Morocco, but she's close at heart! She sent us flowers for our one year anniversary (June 23).
4th of July
Charlotte came to visit us from Sweden and happened to be here for the 4th of July, so we all went downtown to enjoy the festivities and fireworks.
Oklahoma Trip
Lori and Jamie made a trip to Oklahoma in July. Jamie got to meet little Hunter Jack for the first time! Here are some photos from the trip:
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| Oklahoma Trip |
Saying Goodbye to Tara & Nick
On May 16 we said goodbye to Tara and Nick as they headed West to Colorado.
We miss them!
Friday, June 06, 2008
Our Oregon Trip
A couple weeks ago we traveled to Oregon with Jessica and Jon to find an apartment for next year. But before we got to Corvallis we stopped in Portland and ate seafood, Eugene to see our friend Nate, Smith Rock to climb, and then Corvallis where we stayed with a great family who showed us lots of good things in Corvallis. Finally we ended up back in Portland to see Maura before we flew home. What a week!
Click on the link below to see a couple photos.
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| Oregon Trip |
Monday, April 14, 2008
Graduate School
University of Minnesota, Oregon State University, Tufts University, or Portland State??
We have finally made a decision. After much deliberation, lists and lists of pros and cons, etc...we have decided on Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon!
Here's a link to a slide show of photos of Corvallis:
http://engr.oregonstate.edu/advantage/slides/index.html
We have finally made a decision. After much deliberation, lists and lists of pros and cons, etc...we have decided on Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon!
Here's a link to a slide show of photos of Corvallis:
http://engr.oregonstate.edu/advantage/slides/index.html
Sunday, March 09, 2008
UNI Climbing Competition
Two weekends ago we participated in the annual UNI climbing competition in Cedar Falls with some friends of ours from Iowa City. All of us University of Iowa climbers did really well and had a fun weekend! We've posted a few of the photos below.
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| UNI Climbing Competitio |
Pet-sitting
We spent a week hanging out with Bailey the dog and Bonzo the cat while we were pet-sitting for friends. Here are a few funny photos of our time with them!
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| Pet - Sitting |
Dave's Birthday at Home
We spent a weekend in Des Moines to celebrate Dave's birthday with family. We were dog sitting for friends of ours, so Bailey had a lot of fun meeting the family too! We enjoyed getting to spend time with everyone and seeing how much Amos had grown!
Dave's Cooking Skills
This is Jamie writing.
One day, as I was walking out the door for work, I asked Dave if he wanted to whip something up for dinner when I returned since he would be home before me. He said, "Sure, I'll see what I can find when I get home tonight." Upon my arrival, I was amazed (but not really because he's brilliant like this all the time when it comes to food) to find a fabulous meal waiting for me.....a meal that he just "threw together."
Toasted french bread with olive tapenade, a stir fry of snap peas, peppers, zucchini, and carrots, and broiled parmesan, garlic eggplant over a bed of wheat pasta....wow!
Dave's Birthday
For Dave's birthday we decided to try and bake a vegan cake...and it turned out absolutely delicious! We took it into the climbing gym and all shared in Dave's celebration of being a quarter-century old.
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| Dave's Birthday |
Friday, February 29, 2008
News Flash #2!
Jamie has been accepted at Tufts! Now we actually have to start making some decisions...choices, choices!
Sunday, February 24, 2008
News Flash!
Jamie has been accepted to Graduate School at Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon! It is the only school that we have heard from thus far but we're excited at the prospect of moving to beautiful Oregon!
Sunday, February 03, 2008
Sledding!
Iowa City got hit this afternoon with a ton of snow... so we decided to bundle up and go sledding - what fun!!
Jamie's Birthday
Groundhog's Day was Jamie's birthday - we were so happy that people could join us to celebrate! Jamie's parents and Natalie came to Iowa City from Des Moines and luckily left on Sunday before the 6-8 inches of snow hit!
Jamie, Lori, Jessica, and Natalie enjoyed tea and snacks at the Leaf Kitchen!
A delicious dinner was had at a great vegetarian restaurant called the Red Avocado, and a few friends met up with us afterwards for good beer at Old Capital Brew House.
Jamie, Lori, Jessica, and Natalie enjoyed tea and snacks at the Leaf Kitchen!
A delicious dinner was had at a great vegetarian restaurant called the Red Avocado, and a few friends met up with us afterwards for good beer at Old Capital Brew House.
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| Jamie's Birthday |
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