zipline - piholo ranch

We chose to enjoy an adventure (on Maui Jim) at Piholo Ranch Zipline. It was stunning, amazing and some of the most fun I've ever had! I conquered some of my paralizing fear of heights, started to feel more comfortable not being strapped in 100 ft up and climbing up a moving bridge... started...but once they strap your trolley on the line, it's the safest feeling ever! They take their roles extremely serious but we all still had a blast! safe was good!!

Keith and I both posing for the camera! What a fun sunny perfect day!

The gulch that we zipped across in Makaoa, leads right to the ocean, such a beautiful sight! the bazillion colors of green, the bring orange flowers in the trees, just spectacular!

You want me to climb up WHAT? 2 at a time so you don't rock it off... um...

the first and easiest tower...cause it had stairs. LOTS of stairs!! this is easy??

This is actually US zipping down the line at an insane rate. I'm in HIT THE BLOCKS form and Keith is still rockin a starfish... starfish is SLOW DOWN, you spread your arms and legs and push your chest forward. I'm in landing form so I don't hit anyone with my legs and so that my trolley doesn't come back and wack me in the face after I hit the brake ;)

all of our trolleys and gear waiting for us! KNOW YOUR NUMBER was what we were DRILLED on.

things I should have posted... Halloween 09!

See I'm catching some things up!

This halloween I had the bright idea of Mikayla and I making her costume... to save money....

yah right. we ended up spending a bit more than we would have just buying her something but I will say, she loved what she had, it was unique and really pretty easy (and quick)

Here's the run down.
We purchased 6$ worth of red swim suit fabric, about 10$ in tulle and a little bit of elastic at the fabric store. We also bought a 1$ headband and I had black pipe cleaners and yarn.

Mikayla sewed the red swimsuit fabric into a tube with the sewing machine following my pins (yay!), we then took a sharpie and drew the circles (dots)

I read instructions on how to make a tutu, your warning... it takes forever, you feel like you've tied tulle onto that string for eons, that and you cut the tool into about 1000 pieces. but it did come out really really cute.

I made two little pom poms with yarn and wrapped them with a pipe cleaner around the headband. actually came out super super cute!
Here she is!
The makeup was a little over the top, red lips and all. don't you love her eyes! liquid eyeliner is NOT fun to take off of an 8 year old though. you've been warned.

our very cute family carved pumpkin guarding our fireplace.
We had a blast, we went to my Mom's early to say hi, then to the church for our big festivities (with Keith AND Marina) then we went over to my Aunt Dewey's and trick or treated in her neighborhood, it was Marina's first trick or treat experience and a total blast!

Portland trip

This falls into the category of things I should have blogged but didn't...

In January we made the trip down to Portland to see my bro in law Mike with his Cavaliers

some exciting things that happened (besides the Cavs winning)...

1. it was my first time to see Shaq in person.

That is one big boy. I actually think I stared at him the entire game like he was a circus freak or something... I made the comment to Mom and Keith that now I think I know what David must have felt like when he saw Goliath. danggggg.

2. it was my first time in the Rose Garden and let me tell you, Portland loves their Trailblazers and it was a GOOD time, everyone was friendly and getting to the game on the max was AWESOME!

3. The MAX. public transportation done right. wow. pick up the train outside of the hotel, get dumped at the arena and then scoots you back to the hotel after. loved it

4. Our first trip to VooDoo Donuts. I don't think this place was around when I was in Portland more often and if it was the locals who took me around Portland should be shot (that was '94)

5. Breakfast at the hotel restaurant unlike any I've ever had before (the Original http://www.originaldinerant.com/index.php)

great eggs benedict, the place is like an upscale old diner but the most delicious food ever!

6. Our hotel! Courtyard Marriot city center. the place was gorgeous! great everything. we'll be back. LEED Gold and great artwork and the bedding was fantastic. loved every minute.

7. Our Waterfall trip - on our free day we walked around Portland in the morning and everyone bore with me while I scooted up to see if my pursemaker was open (not yet boo!) and then on a whim we decided it would be fun to head out to Multomah Falls. It'd been a long time between trips for me. The last trip would have been on the way from Portland to Walla Walla in '95? yowsa! It's a gorgeous drive along the Columbia river to the most beautiful waterfall I've seen in some time!

Keith and Dad and I walked up to the bridge and Keith continued on to head to the top of the falls, he almost made it before he realized he was fully out of communication from the rest of us and as he wasn't sure how long it'd take and how long we wanted to wait he came back down. We had a great bite to eat at the lodge and then hit the road for home.

8. the food... We had a big breakfast (the original) then a snack at Multnomah and then I forced my family to try German food (eh they say but I loved it) then we headed north to Spiffy's for the biggest, baddest, most awesome banana cream pie EVAH!!!

9. A trip to Cabella's... Mom and Dad hadn't been yet and I knew they'd freak! it was great! Dad could have made that his destination for the day and Keith and Mom and I had a blast! i heart you Cabella's.

We had a blast on the trip, it was so fun to see Mike and such fun with my parents! And Portland, you're pretty dang cool. I can't wait to get back!

Family Pictures - Johnson Style - Baseball field=home

We FINALLY got our calendars to work with Hannah's and off we went. Two locations, two "changes" of clothes and some amazing pictures later! This was our first stop at a little league field not far from our house. we couldn't get into the field without breaking in so these are outside the actual field. I was hoping for a recreation of the proposal picture (Keith kneeling on third base is a pretty good shot) but these came out pretty fabulous!


Hannah scaled the fence and took some shots through the chain link, they came out really cool!

Here's us teaching Mikayla the toss the bat, one hand over the other to see who goes first trick. that was a new one. I win by the way. ;)

this one is going next to my bed. I love it.

One last daisy of the year and I'll have to say that this pic is the money shot.

dry ice rocks!

First photo of the party and the one I'm going to blow up and frame! The first kids showing us their excitement with the dry ice in the punch! This one got an amazing reaction didn't it!

Josiah, Mikayla and Bekah

party timeline and script. what do you think?

Party timeline and script.... CHECK!

I'm feeling good, feeling organized! this is going to be a great party and... we're in an air conditioned room for the party! WOHOO!

Mikayla's party is in full swing, I've pre portioned all the experiements, everything is boxed and ready to go to the cabana, I've lined up tables and help and I'm SO excited! this is going to be quite an event!

I have bracelets (like what you get for passing the swim test at camp) in different colors to show who is in which group, I have signs for the tables and all the paper stuff ready.

Here's the lineup of what's going on!

PARTY TIMELINE

As children enter give bracelets, with table numbers

Ice cream on each table to shake while waiting for all the kids to show up

Take one shaken ice cream apart to take tastes, then move buckets into the kitchen

Insta snow experiment with partners

Play time (with the snow on their plastic plate)

Put snow into their zip lock bags (sharpie to write name on their bag), Wash hands in kitchen by table number

Ice cream and singing (still on debates on this, looking for an easy thing to do since we’ll be taking tastes of homemade ice cream??thoughts?? Mikayla wanted ice cream with nerds on them but she’s not totally sold on it, I want something EASY!!!)

Presents

Wipe down tables and reset for next experiment (quick wipe and bring out next bucket)

Slime experiment

Send home with bag of goodies

Each table to have favor bags with experiments in separate tubs

Ice cream experiment

Jugs, ice, ziplock bag, milk mixture, rock salt
The science of it all…
Fill the coffee can or large plastic jar half full with crushed ice.
Add about 6 tablespoons of salt to the ice. Seal the container and mix for a few minutes by rolling the container back and forth on the floor. Hey, you might even have to wear gloves! Why? Measure the temperature of the mixture with a thermometer. The salt and ice mixture gets down to about 14 degrees F (-10 degrees C)!
Use the quart size zipper-lock bag to mix the following ingredients:
1/2 cup of half & half cream
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Seal tightly, allowing as little air to remain in the bag as possible. Too much air left inside may force the bag open during shaking.
Place the bag inside the coffee can with the ice mixture and seal and place the lid on tightly. Here comes the fun part... find someone who will roll the can back and forth on the floor with you. Only the people who help get to enjoy the ice cream! Roll it everywhere... on the floor, over the bed, under the table, on top of Uncle Bill... just keep rolling it. Five to eight minutes is adequate time for the mixture to freeze into ice cream. You might need to check on your ice cream concoction after 5 minutes to see if it's frozen. If not, keep rolling.
Remove the bag from the can and rinse it well with water. You don’t want any salt water accidentally getting into your ice cream.
Use your spoon to eat the ice cream right out of the bag!
How does it work?
What does the salt do? Just like we use salt on icy roads in the winter, salt mixed with ice in this case also causes the ice to melt. When salt comes into contact with ice, the freezing point of the ice is lowered.
The lowering of the freezing point depends on the amount of salt added. The more salt added, the lower the temperature will be before the salt- water solution freezes. For example, water will normally freeze at 32 degrees F. A 10% salt solution freezes at 20 degrees F, and a 20% solution freezes at 2 degrees F.
When salt is added to the ice, some of the ice melts because the freezing point is lowered. Always remember that heat must be absorbed by the ice for it to melt. The heat that causes the melting comes from the surroundings (the warmer cream mixture). By lowering the temperature at which ice is frozen, you were able to create an environment in which the cream mixture could freeze at a temperature below 32 degrees F into ice cream.

Insta Snow experiment

Premeasured snow
Premeasured water
Plastic plate
Ziploc bag with name

Does anyone know what this is (Diaper)
What does it hold, how does it work? (pour bottle of water in it)
These are both excellent examples of a polymer!
The science of it all:
put the premeasured powder in your hands (over your plate)
Have your partner pour the premeasured water into your hands (over your plate)
Quickly pour all of the water into the cup with the Insta-Snow powder. Don’t take your eyes off the erupting snow!
Go ahead... put your fingers in the fluffy fake snow. It looks so real that special effects artists are now using it in movies. If you let the snow sit out, the water will evaporate and the once fluffy snow will turn back into the dry powder. That’s right... it’s reusable!!!
How does it work?
Insta-Snow® is actually derived from the superabsorbent polymer found in baby diapers. The only difference (and it’s a big one) is that the Insta-Snow polymer not only absorbs water but the long chains of molecules swell to an enormous size. The polymer soaks up water using the process of osmosis (water molecules pass through a barrier from one side to the other). When water comes in contact with the polymer, it moves from outside the polymer to the inside and causes it to swell. The polymer chains have an elastic quality, but they can stretch only so far and hold just so much water.
The Insta-Snow reaction is a great example of a physical reaction - a reaction where the substance itself does not change. When an ice cube melts, a physical reaction takes place where the solid ice turns into a liquid, but the substance (water) never changes - it's still water! However, in a chemical reaction, a new substance is formed and energy is either given off or absorbed.
If you think of the Insta-Snow powder is millions of tiny sponges, it's easy to see that neither the Insta-Snow powder or the water was changed. If you allow the water to evaporate, the Insta-Snow powder dries out and returns to it's previous state, ready to be used again.
How long does the hydrated snow last?
The snow will start to dehydrate after a few days due to evaporation. Just spray the top of the snow with water and fluff the snow with your fingers to give it a fresh, fluffy look. You can also let the snow completely dry out to use it again. The dry form of Insta-Snow powder will last forever!
Why does the snow feel cold to the touch?
Since the snow is almost entirely made up of water, and the water is bound to evaporate. The process of evaporation produces a constant cooling effect. That's why it's so much fun to touch!
Will the snow ever turn back into water? No, the fake snow will not melt since it is not really ice. However, the water can be released from the superabsorbent polymer by adding salt. The addition of salt destroys the water absorbing properties of Insta-Snow® forever.
Does Insta-Snow have to be on a special surface?
No, Insta-Snow can be used on almost any surface except untreated wood. Keep the snow off of any surface that might be damaged by water. Surfaces that are ideal include tile, plastic and glass. Insta-Snow will not stain fabric, but normal care should be taken when applying this water-based material.
Can Insta-Snow be thrown away in the trash?
Insta-Snow is very easy to clean up and can be disposed of in the trash. Just brush the surface clean or use a vacuum to pick up the snow. Eventually the hydrated snow will turn back into the dry powder and can be easily swept or vacuumed. Insta-Snow powder is a non-hazardous, non-toxic, environmentally safe polymer.

Slime Experiment

Test tube (baby soda bottle)
Premeasured ingredients
Plastic plate
Talk about the baby soda bottle, show what it can do, give them the website to check out more experiments www.stevespangler.com

Snoqualmie Falls

Snoqualmie Falls you never dissapoint. Even with the dad letting his little kid pee on the sidewalk we still had a good time!

Sunday on our way home from Yakima we road tripped! We stopped at the Cle Elum Bakery and had apple fritters and donuts and then to Salmon La Sac and then after a traffic jam on the pass, Snoqualmie Falls!

Keith and Mikayla jumping into the crowd to take a better look!

This was our fathers day as we'll be leaving the big man on his own this next weekend as we go camping without him. I think we did a pretty good job of spoiling him!

Salmon La Sac - new and improved?

Welcome to my 2nd favorite campground of all times. Salmon La Sac just outside of Roslyn, Wa.

I grew up going to SLS with my Mom's side of the family and have very fond memories of my Grandpa taking a leap off the bridge into the deep frigid river that runs through the front gates of camp.

We haven't been in a few years, some because of the campground being flooded and rebuilt, some because all of us kids are too busy getting married, having kids, etc. just busy! but the first reason (the flooding) was what I wanted to check out. We knew they had reopened but no one had been to check it out.
Here's my report.
1. There's NO water in camp. they have pit potties now (not that gross except nothing to even wash your hands with (purell needed!) you also have to bring in any water you may need. being 30 minutes from town this is a bit of a hassle. I'd like to have checked out Wish Poosh on the way to see if they have water?
2. the lake on the way to camp (that I don't even remember) is HUGE! it's covering trees and amazing. We'll have to check this out further. it looked like wish poosh was right there?
3. Camp - new pavement throughout but the sites look beat up. there's lots of rocks exposed and the sites look pretty uneven.
4. I did notice LOTS of new stone hearths? they look pretty cool!

And for all you Grahams, look close at these pics, I went to the old combined site and that's what we took shots of. hope you like em!

Sally got married! (oh yeah, I guess Joel was there too!)

On Saturday we had the pleasure of heading over to Yakima for my cousin Sally's big day! The weather was great the trip was great (except for Mikayla asking in Issaquah if we were there yet) and we had a GREAT time with the fam!

Oh yeah and Sally was the most beautiful bride of all times and she made me cry, I in fact cried through most of the wedding. like an idiot.

And the pastor (Mr. Starr) gave the most wonderful wedding sermon I think I've ever heard. he based it on Phillipians 2:1-4

1 Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, 2 fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others

This exact passage was a theme of my Awana/Sunday School 4th grade girls this year too so I perked right up.

How hard is it in life to "do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit but in humility consider others better than yourself"

I'm still learning this!

Mikayla and Keith watching the service. SO CUTE!