The incredible, globe-trotting Stefaneks

This is going to be a looonnnng post but I need to get caught up. We had a pretty great summer this year. We moved for the second time this summer into a more permanent place-like for a couple years (maybe). Good grief, will we ever be settled permanently? Anyhoo, we now live in Coburg which is a cute, quaint little town on the outskirts of Eugene and we love it out here. It's farming community, so it is small and quiet. I was so tired of living in the middle of Springfield. So nice to not be worried about the drunk walking down the street, and all the scary people around. I feel bad for the folks that bought our house. We are happy here so far and things are great. With the money from our house, we bought the kids a trampoline which rocks. Don't know why it took us so long. They love it and I love it cause they are getting exercise too. We are renting now, but we have a big back yard (overgrown with blackberries) and once we clear that out, we have a chicken coop that i might get chickens. Don't know much about that but we'd get eggs, so that's good, right? There is also a playhouse that was back here and a deck on the back. Down the street are some kids that my kids go to school with and we have befriended that family so that is really cool. So that is a little about our current situation.
We got to go on a family vacation this summer to San Fran California area. We stayed in a little town called Clayton and I loved it! Except for the brown and dry everywhere (no offense Rob or Lisa) It was a very cool place to stay. We stayed at my aunt's boyfriend Rob's house. He has a really cool house out in the country and a little ranch area where they keep their horses. I loved it there. It was so restful. Rob and Lisa kept asking what we wanted to do, like go into the city, and we were just content to stay at his house and relax and rejuvenate. They also had gotten some gifts for us that we opened the next morning after we got there. To my HUGE surprise, Rob bought us a Wii. I couldn't believe it. That was the coolest since I am such a video game nerd now.
Emma got up bright and early every morning to help with the horses. I knew that would be the highlight of her vacation. So Rob would go out with them and do stuff outside and keep the girls busy so Adam and I would get to sleep in. That rocked!
We stayed in Clayton for about 3 days and got to swim at the Horse club pool. It was a little scary because the kid's didn't have life vests and they wanted to just go. The next day Adam and I went to Kmart and got them vests and they used them in Rob's neighbors pool which was perfect. The neighbor is his best friend and they invited us over for swimming and bbq. It was so yummy. I think they loved us because they had a little girl our girls age and she never has friends to play with.
The best part of the vacation for me was when Lisa had a masseuse come out to the house and she let Adam and I get in home massages for an hour each. It was AWESOME! After mine, i went and laid down and took a nap. I said to Lisa "what kind of alternate universe have I stepped into?" She laughed and said "the Rob and Lisa one." No kidding. I used to live with her for awhile before I got married and it always felt like a fantasy life to me the things we got to do.
We also went into the little town of Clayton and they had a cool park in the middle and it is soooo cute! It looks like a little old western town, but newer. I was eating it up. I want to go back again soon!
After staying in Clayton, we traveled down to Santa Cruz to go to the boardwalk and so we stayed there a night. The weather was perfect so it wasn't too bad walking around there. The girls go to go on a lot of rides and I had to go with them. Adam wasn't feeling very well.

Their favorite part was the beach. It was so pretty. The played in the water and got all sandy. It was really cold so I don't know how they enjoyed it. Kids are warmer blooded or something.
Daddy buried Garrett in the sand cause the kid was everywhere. It was pretty annoying. And since he wasn't feeling good, I was the one to constantly be chasing him. It was great that we got to do that though. The drive was pretty long from Clayton to Santa Cruz, but I'm glad we did it.
This was us the next day on the pier before we got ready to head back home. We got dressed up and went to see my aunt at her client's property so she could do family pictures for us. She was already going to be there doing pictures for another girl. They turned out great and I can't wait to post them. It was fun to be outside in the country for pictures. The kids were having a hard time of course.
I love this picture of Garrett looking up at the Boardwalk. His little tiny body compared to the roller coaster. He looks like he is in awe of it.
This is my aunt Lisa and cousin Chelsea holding birthday cupcakes because we took the trip originally as a gift from Adam for my 30th birthday. We just did it a little late. So it was cute of them to celebrate it when we got there. Our trip was the middle of August.

The girl's favorite part of the trip were the horses. My aunt's horse Pete was out of commission because he was having some problems with pain and bucking her off, so we stayed away from him. Emma was scared at first because she thought she was going to get bucked off, but we talked to her about it (we had been to the rodeo so she was all spooked) and she finally got on. The girls got used to them by feeding them and petting them first, and Rob was really great about teaching them ways with the horse. Emma got much more confident and started riding. She went on a pretty long trail ride with Rob one morning, where they saw a couple coyotes. Pretty cool. The day we left, she got to ride again and actually rode by herself and gave the horse commands. Rob was very impressed and said she was a natural. I need to find her somewhere to take some lessons out here. Natalie let Rob lead her around on cowboy which is a HUGE deal for her. Considering she is deathly afraid of any large animal or mascot. Adam and I would love to go to Disney Land at some point but instead of being the happiest place on earth, it would be hell on earth for Natalie. So we are waiting on that one. I was very proud of her riding. It shows big strides.

So that was our vacation. The driving was long and a little tough with kids, but we would do it again. Those of you in Utah, look out cause we will probably be coming your way next summer. We haven't visited in awhile and it would make a fun trip. So that was the highlight of our summer and it's nice to be getting into fall, although we are tons busier now because of school, but life goes on.

Stay tuned...

We have just moved, yet again, and so i have no internet until next week. I am writing this post at work, which is where I do most of my web surfing anyway(shh, don't tell my boss.) so anyways, as soon as we are hooked up, i will hook everyone up with the latest on us! stay tuned!

Behold the Triathlete!

Bear with me because this is going to be long. I'm writing like I'm making a journal entry. Ok, so now I am going to boast a bit. I conquered my fear and did the triathlon! It was this last weekend, so we headed up to Portland for the whole weekend. It was originally going to be my friend and I coming up and my sister staying the night with me so I could get plenty of rest, but that fell through so my family ended up coming up. I was stressing big time that I wouldn't get the rest I needed, but Adam and the kids stepped up to the plate so I could rest and relax. It was amazing how good the kids were. After checking in, we went to the park that the race was to be at to just check it out. It was a Blue Lake Park in Fairview and was a really big, cool park. Tons of play areas for the kids and areas for bbqs. After that we headed to a Italian joint so that I could carboload. Got to bed at a decent time but didn't sleep so well and then I was up at 5:45am to get ready. We got the kids up early and headed over to the park and got there around 7am. My race started at 8. I got set up, and tried to prepare myself. My friend Abby did it too, so we got ready and walked over to the swim area. The first wave of swimmers went, and we were in the second wave 5 min after the first. We got in and i thought "There's no going back now!" And we were off. The swim was the most difficult for me. It was a half mile swim, but the farther I went, the more energy I got. After getting out, I went to the transition area and got ready for my bike ride. It was a 12 mile ride and my wonderful brother Chris let me borrow his racing bike, so that helped a ton. The bike was the best part. I had a perma smile thinking "this is so much fun!" the whole time I was riding. Got done with that, and got ready for the run. The run was a 5K, so 3.1 miles. My legs felt like jello at first, so I went pretty slow at first, but then after the 2nd mile, I dug out some more energy and was able to run the whole time. I really didn't think I would be able to.
I finished 7th in my division which was ladies 150 lbs and heavier and under 39. There were 18 of us. I did my swim in 22 min 30 sec, the bike in 43 min 55 sec, and the run in 31 min and 46 sec. My total time was 1:45:01, including my transition times. I was pretty dang proud of myself because I did way better than I thought I was going to and I'm pumped to do another one next year, maybe a harder one. It was hard but very fulfilling.
I was exhausted after we left and tried to take a nap back at the hotel, but of course your mind isn't as tired as your body, so that was a bust. After naps, we headed to the Troutdale outlet malls and shopped a little, and then met my friends Scott and Joanne for dinner. After Scott almost took out Emma(I forgive you Scott) and after dinner, they came back to our hotel, and we hung out so the girls could swim, then went back to our room and Scott and Adam got distracted by boxing, and I was like " I really love hanging out with you guys, but I gotta go to bed! So basically you need to leave now!" I was so freakin exhausted! Yeah me and thanks to my fans who came to support me. Thanks sista and my family. Love you guys. It helped to have the support.
The whale being beached. Oh wait, that is just me after my swim!
Coming in from the bike portion.
The gated transition area where we got changed and got ready for each event.
Heading out on my run. Don't look too tired just yet.
My friend Abby and I with our biggest fans after the race.

Zoo fun!

We finally went to the Portland Zoo this last weekend while we were up there. I lived up there for a year and never have been. I find that funny. Oh well.
It was pretty fun. The day started out cold and cloudy, and eventually burned off in the afternoon and warmed up. We saw lions, and tigers, and bears, Oh my! Actually, we didn't see any lions, but we saw a ton of cool animals from all over the world. The kid's favorite thing was an elephant that was painting. The handler would shoot paint into it's trunk, and then the elephant would spray it out on a canvas. The handler would then give it a brush and it would paint on the canvas. That was pretty neat. The zoo was featuring dinosaurs, so we bought the extra package to go on the Dinosaur path, a ride on a dinosaur thrill ride, and the train ride around the park. The thrill ride was a simulated 3D adventure, which was pretty jerky and the picture was blurry. I went on with Emma and she got freaked out with our seats jerking around, so we waved our hands and the operator turned off our seats. So that was pretty lame just sitting there still and watching a terrible 3D movie. Adam went on with Natalie and she started freaking out when T-Rex came on, but he made her experience it all. She seemed to handle it better than Emma. It was a lot of walking, with cranky, whiny kids but we do it for them, right?


The train ride around the park.
Us and T-Rex. He was moving and roaring so loud. Just as we went under him, there was a thunderous roar.
Garrett catching a thrilling ride on the snail? I don't really know what it was.
The petting zoo. You could only pet goats so that was lame. And they just stayed on these barrels for kids to pet them. That was a riot.
The girls loving the Dinos!

Down Memory Lane...

1. Add a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!




2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments. I can't wait to see what people remember.
Posted by Andrea at 9:00 AM

Pepper gets fixed!

I took Pepper in to finally get spayed. We've had her since Christmas, but have put it off. So, I take her in, talk to the vet, and he says "Is it ok if i cut her hair a little around her eyes? She can't really see." so I say sure. I get back and he says "You won't recognize her." She comes out and he has completely shaved her snout. It looks hideous. He said that he shaved one spot, and it looked funny, so shaved some more. You get the picture. Although you won't because I don't have one to post. But, poor thing. She is in pain, out of it, and her face looks ugly now. Luckily hair grows back or I would have to threaten the vet. Oh, and he says to me "You'll just be getting her hair cut soon anyway." I said, no. Do I really look like a person that would make my poodle look like a poodle? She is way cuter shaggy, so her hair better come in fast!

Summer fun

Emma hits the high jump.

Are you racing or modeling? Nattie doing the dash.

Pool fun

We've been busy, busy this summer. I got the girls in this free park play program. They go from 9-12 and play at a park, with workers that organize games, snacks, etc. I get to run errands, and do workouts which works out great. Then after that, there are free lunches for kids so i don't have to make lunch everyday. Gotta love that!
I also got Natalie into ballet for the summer for her birthday present. That is the only thing she has dreamed of doing. Emma has been going to a sports camp this week. It is from 8-5 but you can drop them off and pick them up whenever. She has been liking it a lot. The kids play with other kids in our new neighborhood and they play in our pool. It's nice for me because I can get a lot done with them not hounding me 24-7 and saying "I'm bored".
The Olympic trials came here and so we went down to the festival to check it out. The girls got to participate in a kids games. They had to do 4 events and get 4 stamps to get a prize. They did high jump, dash, standing long jump, and running long jump. It was pretty confusing and hot. All the festival was was businesses trying to get their names out, and you collecting a bunch of crap you don't need. We had to be there while it was going on, at least.
Our last adventures for the summer will be two weeks of swim lessons, and then hopefully a trip to San Francisco.
I love summer! I love it more when I have forced air in my home. Ahhh, the sweltering days of summer.