Wow! I can’t believe it is already the 9th of Sept. My, how quickly time passes. Especially this week. We have had a lot of significant events here in the Nelson family. Wed was Ferns 1st birthday, although we celebrated it on Monday because Mom and Dad Nelson were able to come over form Ephrata. It was very neat to see Fern learn how to open a present. Once she did she was so excited to do the next one. She really loved all the clothes that she got. She loves to pull things over her head, we believe that she likes playing dress up. We are fearful for her teenage years and plan on hiding our credit cards. [see birthday pics below]
Also, this week I handed in my Letter of Resignation at my Dead-end, going-nowhere Job as I accepted an offer from a landscape design company named Lifestyle Landscape. It is a HUGE step up for me and is what I have been dreaming of for almost 8 years now. The interview process was tough with up to 5 people in on the interview. The nice thing about tough interview is that you know that if they examined you that thoroughly you must be a good candidate. I didn’t think that I had a chance but less than 1 business hour later (the next morn) the made me a nice offer. It will be a significant, not large, pay increase. A huge increase in benefits. 10 days vacation with All paid Holidays Vs. 5 days vacation with 1 paid holiday, for example. Oh and did I mention that I will be finally be a full fledged designer? Anyhow it is in south Seattle, so the commute will be rough, but we are looking into some different housing options that are closer and cheaper, although probably not nicer. Our home here in Woodinville is very beautiful and comfortable.
[see Barclay Lake pics below]
Well with the week off before I start my new job we painted our bedroom and took some time to just hang out as a family. Henry who is 3 1/2 and I, went on his first overnight backpacking trip. We went to Barclay Lake. It is listed in one book as 1.5 miles and another as 2.2. I think I would lean towards the 2.2. It was a good hike. I am really impressed with Henry's hiking aptitude. He has incredible balance and agility and great endurance. I had to push him hard on the way up so that we didn’t get stranded in the dark. He went at a good pace almost the whole way which was almost 2 hours. At the lake we where the only people there and it remained that way for 18 hours until lunchtime the next day. We found a nice spot on the shore of the lake. We cooked our dinner on my campstove. We tied our food up in a tree to keep it out of reach of the bears. In the tent we colored picture before we fell asleep. The next morning was so beautiful, the sun was shining on the meadow at the end of the lake and mist was curling around the tip of Baring Mountain. I could hardly take enough pictures. I took some pictures of Henry, because he appeared surprisingly grownup. I really am proud of him, to me he is such a great kid. He is kind and gentle, yet tough and rugged. He always wants to help other people. He is smart and has an awesome sense of humor. No kid is perfect, but I think that I have and exceptionally great one. We cooked breakfast on the shore in the sun to keep warm. We then hiked around the lake to see what we could find. We saw thousands of mushrooms in myriad colors. There was yellow, orange, red, burgundy, pink, light purple, very dark purple, white black, brown, green and cream. Also there were a lot of ferns and some massive old growth trees. We had a great time and Henry has not stopped talking about it. In fact, at night I no longer “tuck him in”, I “zip up his sleeping bag”. I look forward to the many hiking and camping trips of the future. I hope it will not be long until Lyn and Fern can join us. (occasionally)
