Our E-Christmas Letter 2008. (By Isaiah & Rachel)

Merry Christmas everyone! We hope that you are all doing well and have had an enjoyable time with your families this season. As is characteristic of all Christmas letters here's our annual recap, Facebook style.

Rachel...
... is enjoying teaching and loves her students. They are a great joy to her and she misses them over school breaks.
... has sold her first artwork for Studio Eighty Twenty!!!
... is taking piano lessons on Monday nights and loves it!
... has started making jewelry and loves making homemade cards.
... has enjoyed co-leading Artful Worship at Compass church with Isaiah. It's been a blast meeting every Thursday night with friends to do art together.
... ran the Portland Marathon
... purchased a "Buddy" scooter to relive her European memories and for cheap gas. It only costs us $1.65 to go 70+ miles.
... loves Mama Mia and is constantly singing Abba now and dancing at home.
... loves the church they are plugged into in Vancouver.
... falls more in love with her husband every day.

Isaiah...
... has been enjoying painting and is looking into going back to school to focus on art and teaching.
... has enjoyed spending time painting and discussing art with his Dad in his art studio.
... also loves the church he's been plugged into and has enjoyed getting to know the people there
... is the other co-leader of Artful Worship and loves it. It's been great producing art together on a common theme and seeing what each person comes up with.
... is thankful to be married to such a wonderful woman.
... enjoyed training for and running the Portland Marathon with Rachel and his brother Casey.
... also really enjoyed traveling to Bigfork, Montana this last summer, going out to dinner at Showtime and Invite with Rachel, spending time with family and going to the Bigfork Summer Playhouse.
... loves that Rachel is an awesome chef and believes she can make a great meal out of anything.
{Rachel thinks Isaiah trying to suck up to her for that last comment}

We love you all and wish everyone a great new year!

Isaiah and Rachel

Check out my first video!

Anybody have some fun snow adventures to share??

Back to school...
Isaiah is planning on going back to school. He wants to be an art teacher, which is cool. We figured he can get his Masters in Education first, and use that to sub while he gets his BA in the arts. I'm pretty excited for him... I want him to be happy with his career choice when we decide to start a family. However, this plan will require a lifestyle change for us... For starters, I'm going to get a second job. This kind of stresses me out, but I know that it is only for a season. Also, it means that our potential plans to buy a house or land is temporarily postponed. We really like where we are living, and since our cousin is living with us rent isn't so bad. I'm actually really grateful that he is pursuing this. He has been so frustrated with his current job, not feeling like he's making much difference in the world, and I think he will go into school with a new fire burning in his belly. How are you supposed to know what you want to do with your life at 19? The system is so backwards!

Anyway, I've dropped off six different applications... not too many people are hiring these days for obvious reasons. So say a little prayer for me : ) Love you all!

God's Little Angel



Last weekend, after fighting for her life and her every breath, a former student of mine went to be with Jesus. I can't even express in words the ache that I feel inside for the loss of this precious life. Although, I know that she is in heaven right now, running, talking, laughing and blowing kisses to all her friends and family... I would love to see that. The thing is, I know that I will experience loss; it comes with the work that I do, but the reality of it all is so painful. I've been with some of my students for 3 years, and I can't imagine what I would do if I lost them. I don't know; I guess her death puts too much into perspective for me. Anyway, please be praying for the family, our classes and staff.

Death is not extinguishing the light; it is putting out the lamp because dawn has come.
--Rabindranath Tagore

WHAT WE'VE BEEN DOING...

Hi all. It's been a busy couple of months. This is probably the first weekend I have had to just be at home and it feels like an actual weekend... relaxing. I've been taking photos more and am becoming better at chronicling my life; I just need to complete the last step and actually post about it! Even though things have been busy, life has been good.

So think back two weekends ago, the weekend before Halloween -- We went to a pumpkin carving party at our friends house. It was great re-connecting with old friends! Unfortunately I don't have much to show except our pumpkin. Isaiah and I both finished carving, and realized that our two unique pumpkins would make one great pumpkin if we combined them. So meet the Monkey...

That same weekend we were doggy sitters for my in-laws. Sammy doesn't get out much, so we really wanted to treat him to something wonderful. We decided to take a trip to Hood River and do part of the fruit loop (a series of fruit and wine tasting stands along the Hood River scenic highway). It turns out that Sammy doesn't care too much for traveling. He got pretty anxious as we were driving through Portland, and he really didn't like it when we would make multiple stops, get out and leave him inside. So, we went down to the river a little earlier than planned and let him play while we watched the kite surfers. I think that made up for it all... he was a pretty happy and tired pup at the end of the day.

Last weekend we made a last minute trip up to Gig Harbor to visit our Aunt and Uncle and to do their art walk. Isaiah and I love road trips together, so it was great to actually feel like we went away for a while. We ended up going to a 50's dance with them Saturday evening... yeah, I know. It actually turned out to be fun... Isaiah and I had a blast just laughing at each other and over emphasizing the silly moves they would teach us.

This weekend I had the chance to deep clean like I've been fantasizing about for so long (I know, I'm crazy). I also went to Ikea with big plans to completely re-do our bedroom that has been the same for six years! Isaiah was sweet enough to ask if he should come (he hates Ikea), and I told him I wanted to go by myself. You should have seen me tyring to squeeze a box with a bed frame in it into the car. I don't know how many strapping fellows walked by watching me sweat and try to get the thing in and NOT offer to help. Anyway, I ended up taking the bed frame out of the box and putting it in with minor cuts and scrapes to the upholstery on the Subaru... cardboard was all over the parking lot thanks to the windy weather. Oh well! Anyway, to make up for not being there to help me, Isaiah helped me put together the room without complaint. I'm still keeping my eye out for pillows and a blanket to help tie the blue and red together.

In the midst of our busyness we have found time for date nights. When the weather is kind, we ride our bikes to Ice Cream Renaissance (or the ICR, if you're a local). My current fav is the Northwest Afternoon-- coffee ice cream with cinnamon and pieces of chocolate. Isaiah and I also are making more time for art these days. Check out his latest...

It's acrylic on plywood. The tree is the negative space.. you can't really tell from the picture. A picture of an apple is nailed on, and at the bottom he painted an apple that is eaten. He wants to do a larger piece with more trees. I'm excited to see what happens!

Well, that is our life so far. I hope you are all well!

I love fall.

I am sooo in love with this season! The last few days have been perfect; sunny and brisk. Here is my list of the top ten (or twelve) things I love about Autumn (in particular order):

Invigorating walks with all the colors and the nip in in the air :: I love that I can start making soups again-- Soup in 80 degree weather just doesn't have the same appeal as it does on a 50 degree day :: Yogi Ginger tea with a little honey...yumm :: Apples... Golden Delicious have been the fav so far :: The make shift pumpkin patch with my students (we set up pumpkins in the gym, and let them pick out their own) :: Pumpkin spice lattes, hold the whip :: Wearing layers; tank, then a long sleeve shirt, then sweater, then puffy vest, then a scarf ... perfect :: Adding the heater blanket to my bed :: Butternut squash soup (add a little sour cream and pomegranate sprinkles on top) :: One word, Thanksgiving :: Fuzzy slippers :: Fatty, fuzzy wannabe Ugg boots

What are some of your favorites?

We Did It!!

It's over. Thank you Lord it is over. I have to admit that this race was the most physically painful, emotionally exhausting and humbling experience of my life so far. But you know... I did it and I finished. I am exactly what that shirt says... I am, a "finisher," I couldn't ask for more. Isaiah and his brother did amazing (as expected), they both finished around 3hours 40minutes (yeah.... I know). Isaiah admits it was tiring and painful towards the end, but thinks he will do another one next year. Me? My legs were already tired and sore at mile 11... not good. I also got really hungry at mile 13 and GU only gets you so far before your stomach starts hurting from the excess glucose (the equivalent of PMS cramps). So, I was hungry, tired and cold all before I was half way through this ordeal. Did I mention that the Portland Marathon has had a 27 year record of no rain on race day? We broke that record this year : ) It was a nice, steady drizzle for mile 4 to 22 and I was sporting a tank and skort (they're all the rage in the running world). Needless to say, I had a more challenging run than expected, and honestly don't know if I'll do it again (sorry Jenny). I will say... as I was coming up to the crowd of people at the last .3 miles, this cute little old man (who was running his 75th marathon at age 75) started passing me... and I thought NO WAY, I refuse to let this sweet grandpa show me up. I don't know where it came from, but I picked it up and passed up 5 people before I crossed the line. Go me : )

pesky vermin

Dear Squirrels,

This was a once happy-go-lucky tomato, growing freely (and alone) on its vine. It did nothing to you. Don't even look at me with those "innocent" eyes, I know you're to blame. I know you heard me talking to Isaiah about eating it with dinner the next night. I can almost see the wheels turning in your pea-sized brains... the perfect plan to ruin my evening! I admit that we have had our share of ups and downs, but you have to admit that you started it... remember my precious grape vines that you ripped to pieces? They were defenseless against your ruthless clawing! I did strike back; chasing you guys down with super soakers was the highlight of my summer. Now that the dreaded acorns are ripe, you've found a weapon of your own, but you know what... You're aim sucks! And guess what else... I used pesticides! Yeah, that stomach ache isn't from all the acorns... who's laughing now?!

the tortoise and the hare

Yesterday Isaiah and I completed our final benchmark run before the marathon. We completed 21 miles. Yeah! A lot of people wait until that run before they sign up for the race, but not Isaiah and I... we were committed before we knew we could complete all but five miles of the big run. Anyway, we did make it. Isaiah finished at 3hours 15minutes and had a 7-8min/mile pace.... show off. I finished at 4hours and 15minutes with an overall pace of 11-12min/mile, BUT I had plenty of energy to pick up my pace for the last mile (passing up 9 people) AND I did get stuck at a train crossing for about 5 minutes. So there you have it, I now believe that I can complete a marathon.

We celebrated with a BBQ complete with burgers, cheddar-beer chips and Corona... Bring on the calories! I got a little fancy with the camera, take a look...

grow little garden grow...




With the recent and unusual string of warm sunny weather it seems my pathetic little garden has been given a second chance. Our single tennis ball sized tomato is turning a lovely shade of red and our green beans are creeping their way up the pole. We've already picked and eaten our banana pepper (approximately the size of my pinky), so can Isaiah and I officially call ourselves "gardeners" now?

Happy Anniversary to US!

Since Saturday we have been married for 6 years! It is so exciting to know that over these six years of marriage we have only grown closer together. The celebration started on Friday after work...

We headed into P-town for happy hour at Carlyle, known for their unique bartending. Afterwards Isaiah surprised me with a trip over to Doug Fir to get tickets for the Music Fest NorthWest to enjoy a unique line up of bands (none of whom I'm familiar with). We did manage to sneak in a bite from the Greek Deli next door because it just sounded sooo good, and it was. The first few bands were great and different in their own way, but my early five o'clock morning wake up was catching up to me. (sorry, I don't have a single picture of this part of the weekend)

On Saturday morning I woke up to the lovely aroma of smoked salmon cakes with a poached egg topped with creme fraiche and dill... yum. We took our time eating and then got ready to go into Portland again for a wine blending class at Urban Wine Works. I never realized the science behind wine tasting and blending, it was so fun! We blind tasted three separate reds and compared the difference in taste when mixing two together then three... Our instructor let us play with the percentages until we found a blend that we liked best, then mixed our own bottle. Afterwards we did a little shopping, grabbed some much needed food and then went home for a relaxing afternoon napping, reading, biking and watching a movie. Isaiah had planned on making a big dinner that night with salmon and other yummies, but we were too full, so we had it for lunch on Sunday.

Any ideas on what to make with leftover salmon, potatoes, various cheeses, asparagus, artichokes and dill?

Anyway, Thanks for the amazing weekend babe! Loves to all, Rachel

Out of the Stone Age...

Can you believe that it has taken Isaiah and I this long to get Internet? We finally have a quick connection, so no more checking the e-mail and blogs at the 'rents place. It feels good to know that I will be more in touch with long distant friends and family. Well, this summer has flown by! I had a couple weeks in the beginning of June where I literally had nothing to do except deep clean the house and read! It was AMAZING! Then I spent the later part of June in a Pro-Cert class preparing evidence gathering tools for the coming Fall (whoop-de-do). Then August hit.... I spent the first week in Montana, which was tons of fun! Then came home and spent a day cleaning clothes only to pack them back up and head with my Mom, Dad and brother to my Uncle Mikes funeral in California. It was a difficult four days, but it felt good to be surrounded by family. When I came home I had two days to wash clothes and repack for a family reunion in Yakima with Isaiah's family. I can't tell you how good it felt to have a four consecutive days to recover from all that madness! We had our last hurrah with my parents and brother at McKenzie River, where my brother retreats every summer with his fellow brothers. School meetings have begun and classes start on Wednesday and I'm left feeling bittersweet about it all. I miss my students, but I will also miss doing my own thing! A definite bonus about returning to work is my new commuter vehicle.... meet Buddy. He's zippy, cute, and gets 75 miles to the gallon. Rain or shine, he and I will have a great time together! Isaiah and I are constantly trying to think of little errands we need to run or places we need to go, just to ride Buddy.

Well... consider yourself updated. Loves to all, Rachel

Double Digits and Other Tid-Bits

It was about 9:05 on Sunday when I finished running my first 10 miles since my half marathon three years ago. I’ve been training for this marathon with Vancouver Fit, which has made the long Sunday group runs more bearable. No offense to my former training buddies, but having a group of professionals plan your workouts and give you advice has made a huge difference in my own performance. I mean I would have never thought heart rate monitors, VO2 testing, Chi running techniques and training with water would make a difference. Okay… so before Vancouver Fit I wouldn’t even have known what VO2 testing or what Chi running techniques were. Anyway, despite the butterflies before the run I felt good. Isaiah felt good as well; he is in the faster group who runs one mile more than my group, and he ran 11 miles with a blister on his toe…so hardcore. On June 14th we will be running our half marathon.... yipee!

At church we started a new series titled Roots. We read out of Romans 1:16-17 -- “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes; first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it written: “The righteous will live by faith.” -- I know that the gospel and its message are intended to show me that Jesus conquered death for humanity. In the verse, the word “power” means dynamite, an intense force, miraculous and life changing. Allowing the gospel message and its power happen in my life is a personal battle for me. Our pastor asked the question, “What are our ‘little saviors’?” What do we use to replace the True Savior? This hit me pretty hard, because I know that I don’t turn to God as often as I should… I fill those moments when I could rest/rejoice/act in Him with shopping, eating, movies, running, reading… Not that those things are bad, but when a need or a hole needs to be filled in my life, I shouldn’t be expecting to fulfill it with anything else but God.

Okay my crazy babble has temporarily subsided. I hope you all enjoy this lovely Memorial Weekend. I think I’ll spend the day in my PJ’s, thinking about summer plans. There are less than four weeks left of teaching and I am so in need of a recharge!

Mom

My mother is one of those "true" moms that the world seems to lack these days. If I'm not feeling well or have had a bad day, she knows. It's like this strange intuition that I won't understand until I have kids of my own. She knows how to laugh and cry with me, and shares in my joys and sorrows with pure and simple honesty. Did I mention that my mother is a culinary genious? Well she is, and she does not hesitate to give Isaiah and I a hot meal whenever we come over. She is thoughtful and loves her kids. I love you Mom and hope that you enjoy your special day.

Happy Mother's Day

Up to date

So I realize it has been a while since I posted. Maybe this faulty blogging pattern on my behalf answers the question of why my "links" list is so stinkin' short. For those who care, here is an update on the recent happenings of my life...

Challenge Games

This is our biggest field trip of the year. Challenge Games is the equivalent of Special Olympics, and my kids LOVE it! Last year we didn't have as many kids attend because the plague (a.k.a. the common cold) swept through the class the week before. This year, I had twice the amount of kids attend. It was crazy but fun! This multi-district event makes this day so special for the kids... they get prizes, treats, recognition, preferential treatment, a gold metal... each student competes in two events with crowds of people cheering them on, it's amazing. This picture is a student of mine whose mother I know well, so I don't think she minds if I post it.

Spring Break

Amazingly enough, Isaiah and I got to visit my Grandma and Grandpa in Arizona for a few days. It felt sooo good to get away! Plus, I hadn't seen my Grandparents for a while... It was short but fun. Isaiah and I were able to warm ourselves back up (only to return to the sub zero-rain-wind-hail weather back home, but whatever), eat the best pizza and Mexican in the US, hike desert trials, smell orange blossoms, and share slow mornings on the patio. I wish we had more pictures. We will definitely treasure the meals and conversations shared with two wonderful Grandparents. They have the best stories!

Day Trip

It's humorous to me that the shortest trip Isaiah and I embark on is the one with the most pictures! We met up with my parents on the Oregon Coast and took part in a day of their mini-holiday. It was so fun being silly, enjoying the long awaited sunshine, and playing on the beach. After an award winning breakfast the Hawk Creek Cafe, we skim-boarded.... okay, okay, Isaiah skim boarded and I posed for the camera. Then we went back to their condo and soaked in the hot tub and whale watched. Oh my goodness, how perfect is that? Thanks Mom and Dad for the good memories!

Other tidbits

Isaiah and I were walking to the Saturday Market one morning and saw a huge group of runners with Vancouver Fit go by, his brother Casey was among them. We felt good cheering them on, and with those good feelings came the idea of... Why aren't we running with them? We could train for a marathon together! So it came to be. Although we haven't signed up we are training for our first marathon set for September. About three years ago I remember finishing my half marathon thinking, who the hell would run another one of these?? Oh the irony of it all.

On a mournful note, last weekend my family piled into the van to go to the funeral of my Grandpa Loren Miller. It was a bittersweet affair for sure, and I will always remember practicing singing Red River Valley with my brother in the car on the way there. I still tear up thinking of that song and what it meant in the life of my grandpa. In fact tears still come to my eyes reflecting on the moments when my Uncles and Aunts would cry, laugh and then cry again while sharing memories. I know Grandpa Loren is in heaven with Grandma Mary, happily walking the heavenly ocean shores.

Thanks friends and family for your patience with my lack of updates. Hope this makes it up. Love you all!

homework attire


Pretty cute, huh? Well I don't have too many amazing stories to catch you up on. I've been busy working, going to school, "spraining" my TMJ joint and catching colds...it's been great! Contrary to that last sentence, I'm working on improving my attitude so here is a list of "good things" to help lighten my spirits a bit:
1) I sound like a frog and am still hacking my lungs but my head cold is clearing up (is that put posistively enough?)
2) I'm only eating soft foods (due to my TMJ joint issues), which means I've lost some weight
3) Isaiah and I got a chance to do a night run last night (my first time working out in 2 and 1/2 weeks)
4) We purchased tickets to see my grandparents in Arizona for spring break
5) We had a family trip to Seattle last weekend to see/celebrate my bro's leap year birthday(that was fun)
6) It's been sunny 2 of the 3 days so far this week
7) I got to work on time today for the first time in... well, a while : )
8) I lost my flash drive with all my homework on it the day my assignments were due, BUT was excused from turning in the assisgnments until I could finish re-typing everything, then today found the flash drive... Praise the Lord!
9) I'm getting my hair done on Friday (its only been 6 months!)
10) I got to go grocery shopping yesterday, which means food in the house (obviously) and I can continue my daily carrot/ginger juice, yummy

So some of those things may seem better than others, but they are all helping me get through my days. I think I'll make this list more often, because I just got giddy thinking of my hair appoitment : )

Twister Madness

No one would really think of Vancouver as a potential location for a tornado, but today we experienced an 85-110 MPH tornado. Let me tell you that either no one knew what the heck was going on or Vancouver is full of nim-wits... I mean the amount of home video footage with people hanging around outside to get a good shot... hasn't anyone seen the Wizard of Oz?? There was a semi truck flipped, a billboard sign bent all the way back, a couple homes completely crushed. Crazy! It was pretty fun to watch unfold with thunder clap after thunder clap and hail so thick that I couldn't see two feet past my spot from the window. Of course I was teaching at the time and (thankfully) only one of my little guys wigged out. The power was out for two hours, but I managed to get the kids through a work and art time. Got to love those eventful days! Only a reminder that we shouldn't "plan for today, because we don't know what tomorrow may bring."