Our digs

We are mostly settled, I've managed to get some things up on the walls, and I felt it looked decent enough to take some pics while the boys were napping today. I still haven't figured out how we got so lucky to get this house at such a steal, but thankfully we have fantastic landlords who are renting it to us for way less than they should, I'm sure. So far, we love it, and it feels SO great to be in an actual house. I never thought it would feel so different, but it really does. I had so many pics I just made a collage, hopefully you can see it all, it got a little jumbled. I may try posting some better individual pics of things when I have time, but for now, this will have to do!

Wordless Wednesday: Daddy and Keeg, 2005

We love Mayonnaise!

Why do we love mayonnaise? Because that is what Keegan dubbed our friends. This weekend we had Dan & Tara M. visiting. Before they left us and moved to Hooper (disclaimer from Zach: please pronounce it hOOp-er, as in the "oo" sound from boo), Keegan called them the Mayonnaise's. It is somewhat similar-sounding to their last name, but it was funny when one day he called Dan "John Mayonnaise" which isn't really close to his name at all.
It was a BLAST to have them here. We absolutely love them, and Tara had been Keeg's sunbeam teacher until they moved, so Keegan loves them too! They have a sweet little daughter, Bricey, who is the cutest thing ever, especially because her Momma dresses her up SO DARN CUTE! Dan and Zach bonded over many a football game, Tara and I went out for some girl bonding (aka, we got manicures!), and we had a fun date night Saturday evening, many thanks to Megan, who watched the kiddos!
Sunday, after church we had some other friends over for dinner and cake & ice cream to celebrate Zach's belated birthday. We didn't do much on his 'official' birthday, because we were waiting for our friends to PARTY with. It was worth the wait! I did take Zach out to try on some new jeans, as with all of his marathon training he is getting pretty skinny! I forced him out of his comfort zone with some boot cut jeans, as oppsed to his usual baggy/loose fitting style. It was a success.....he looked so good I decided he could use 2 pairs :-) Lookin' good babe!
The weekend was topped off with the boys having a little more football/wii time on Monday night, while we girls watched a chick flick after settling the kids in bed. Zach was a little bummed to miss out on the annual golfing this morning due to an unforeseen conference call, but we finished out the day with lunch at Costa Vida (mmmmm!). It was so much fun, and we really wish they didn't have to leave!! Thanks for your visit, we loved having you! COME BACK SOON!

PS. Any other friends who have left the great state of OREGON (or Idaho, or Utah) are welcome at our place ANY TIME!!!

A Wee Little Recap........

So in my blogging hiatus, I have overlooked a few highlights of the K's and my Idaho adventure. Quite possibly the most important highlights, aside from the fantastic wedding. Perhaps the following picture may give you a clue.........



How could I forget the visit to Bwana's fire station?! It was AWESOME. How many people do you know have actually ridden in the fire truck? Well, WE DID! Keegan had the place of honor in Bwana's lap in the front seat. Kayden and I were seated in the middle (slightly illegally, but hey, it's not like the fire truck was going to get in an accident) and Aunt Auty and Uncle Loren were in the back jump seats. It was so cool! I have to admit, even I was starstruck by the whole experience. Zach was jealous when Keegan told him. I think he said "I've never gotten to do that!" Keegan was IN HEAVEN. He got to flip on the sirens and push the air horn. He and Bwana had on the headsets, and Keegan was able to listen to Bwana tell dispatch that "Engine 1 is out of use for the moment." Then he and Bwana just chatted back and forth on the headsets. Even Kayden loved it, and he hardly even jumped when the sirens turned on. Seems like they are both pretty natural at this fireman stuff.....
After our ride, Keegan got to do a favorite fireman pastime - ping pong! Or table tennis, which is it really? He and Bwana played, and Keegan is actually quite good. Sugar Mama would say he has a "killer" serve. But really, I was impressed at how he could return the ball several times in a row. Kayden just loved wandering around the station and looking for trouble (the usual for him).




We also had a quick Labor Day weekend trip up to Island Park, where we got to stay in Krista's parents cabin (Krista = sis-in-law). It was SO fun, Keegan loved causing a ruckus with his cousins, Kai and Alix, and we all had a blast going out on the four-wheelers and the RZR (pronounced razor), this cool little side-by-side off-roader. It was so fun for me to be able to do this with Keegan! Without Zach being there, Keegan wanted me to take him on everything (normally he would have been begging Daddy) and I actually really enjoyed doing something "cool" with him.

Uncle Josh taking Keegan and Alix out on a ride

Kayden was in awe of the noisy machines. No, he didn't ride on ANY.

The RZR. SO MUCH FUN.

Our visitor - right next to the house!

Uncle Jace and his little buds, Kayden and Porter.



And last but not least, on our way home via the SLC airport, we got to stop at our dear friends Dan & Tara and hang out for a few hours. THANKS a ton for arranging to meet and letting us crash at your house - it was fantastic! Plus, mmmm, the food was great!!! Keegan loved swinging on their huge tree swing out front, and Kayden much appreciated his nap inside (as did I). This brings a close to our Idaho trip recap!

29

1 Fateful day in Broulim's. "That's some big cheese."
+
1 year later to propose.
+
4 months of engagement.
+
5 years of marriage.
+
4 years of our first sweet son.
+
1 year of our second sweet son.
+
3 amazing marathons (the fourth is a few weeks away).
+
6 different homes, and each one fantastic because we were together - home is where my Zach is!
+
4 of the many reasons why I love him:
He is my best friend - ever.
He loves me more than anyone else (aren't you jealous?).
He is DARN cute.
He is the best husband/father that I could ask for. I love to have the years go by with him, and look forward to many more.
=
29 years of ZACH!



Happy Birthday Zach!


PS. Happy birthday to Auty (Zach's sis) and Bwana (Zach's Dad)! We love you guys!
PPS. Happy BIRTH-day to Tracy & Elliot's new baby!

Timberline Marathon

If you want to see some sweet pics of my man running his race, check this out! Enter racer's # 117 in the search field. He says "You can tell by the look on my face how far into the race I am in each picture." FYI, in the finish pic, the race clock says 4:19, which is not his actual time. They stagger the runners start because it is a single-man trail. Hence, his actual time is 4:09. Way to run babe! We are proud of you!

http://conaghan.smugmug.com/gallery/5963176_wMd3e

Did you miss me?

Did I worry you? No? Too bad.... No, Hurricane Ike did not keep me away from my computer, but I sincerely hope my Texan buddies (Alissa & Tara) are doing ok! I love you guys, and hope that your homes and families are safe and well. Any updates would be appreciated!
My absence can be summed up in one word. MOVING. Let me recap: The boys and I returned home from Idaho Falls Sept. 4th. To a different house. Uh-huh, Zach moved (with the fabulous help of family and friends and home-teachers!) about 90% of our stuff while we were still gallivanting in Idaho. The boys and I were so grateful to be home, I don't think we even noticed the mess, we just took one look at our beds and ran for them! Kayden especially, he missed his bed a lot! After that, Friday we spent trying to put a few things away so that the mess was 'livable.' Saturday, I cleaned the old house, Sunday was a much needed break, and then Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday we PAINTED. Nothing cool, mind you, we had to paint our crummy old townhouse back to white. All my beautiful painting, gone! See, our original plan had been to stay at the townhouse for the duration of school, so I joyfully painted the living room, kitchen, and bedrooms some great colors. I have to say, I kinda teared up when I painted over the living room, it was the best color. Ah well, I turned in our keys and didn't look back. I am glad to be done with that complex! Good riddance!
Our house is great. I love it. It will be better when I have everything put away, but for now the mess is confined to the garage and our closet (out of sight, out of mind, my motto!). With the nice weather, we've enjoyed evening walks (Keegan rides his bike) around the neighborhood and have really loved it. We have already met some neighbors and they are great too!
This last weekend Zach ran the Timberline Marathon up on Mt. Hood. It is a trail marathon, for those of you familiar with the area, I believe the course went on the Pacific Crest Trail. It was an insanely difficult marathon,dropping 3000 ft down the mountain. He described it as "boulder-hopping, log-jumping, root-tripping the whole way." It was tough, but he did great, finishing with a time of 4 hours 9 minutes and coming in 29th out of 400!! He also finished in 3rd place in his age group, so he gets an award in the mail.
I haven't yet found the camera cord to download pictures, but as soon as I do I will get some up. The boys and I are so happy to be home and even more happy to be back with Daddy!