The Smith's

We had a great time with the smith's, but for some reason we didn't take
any pictures so here are some from recent years we've visited.

This summer has been the most exciting summer i have ever had. from my dad's back surgery all the way to going on a road trip with my mom to the smith's I don't think we got a moment of boredom. In June we went to D.c. and that was the best trip of my life. the best part was seeing all this cool stuff and being able to share the experience with my mom and close friends. Right after that I got to go on the Trek. what a great experience it was to feel part of the burden the pioneers had to carry.After that it was straight to the beach for a little family reunion. we danced with cousins and played on the water. By the time we were done both me and my siblings were all beached out.after that we hung around home for a while then went to prineville to visit the smiths we had a great time.so as you can see our summer has been filled with fun. you'd be surprised how entertaining it is for me to just think about all the goods and bads of this summer and now it all had to come to an end. school is starting and it's finally time to sit back, relax, and to listen to teachers go on about history and lame stuff like that (just kiddin)

by megan

Grandma and Grandpa Hibben

Grandma and Grandpa came to Oregon for a visit a few weeks ago and I thought I should let you know that we took care of them and showed them a fabulous time. It was hard to fit in all of the things that we love to do in so short a time, but we tried. We had them meet us at the beach--Thank you Arlene and Tony. Here is a view from the back deck.

Mom and I and the kids went on one of our favorite hikes at the coast called Cascade Head. This is at the top of the mountain and you can see for miles up and down the coast. There is a trail at that starts at the bottom and goes 3 miles up, but we opted for the drive up the mountain (through the clouds) and the shorter 3/4 mile trip to the top. If you are worried that I shrunk, I am standing in a little ditch!!

Dad spent most of his time at the coast fishing and relaxing on the deck. He caught 2 trout and they were delicious.

Since we were at the coast but the house is on the lake, we made a special trip out to the ocean for mom. Luckily, we were out there at low tide and were able to go to the best tide pool around. It was quite a walk but well worth it. I think this was mom's favorite part. We saw tons of starfish and other sea life clinging to the rocks. I know you can't tell, but as I was taking this picture, the water started to come in and I think it got mom's shoes, but she didn't even complain.

It was pretty warm, and not windy, which is unusual for the beach, so the kids wanted to play "run away from the waves and only get your feet wet." At least that is what they told me. Needless to say, they were all completely soaked when they were done playing and not to happy about it an hour later when we started the long walk back to the car. I don't think they will ever learn!!

After we came back to Cottage Grove, the girls had a golf tourney for jr golf. Dad was paired up with Melissa.Meg was stuck with me.
Meg's swing looked pretty good, but in the end--
Dad and Melissa killed us!!! It was a lot of fun and I don't think Melissa will ever forget it. She learned a lot about golf from Dad. He better keep playing. I told him that I was only going to get better and better and at some point, he was going to get worse. It might be when he is 98 years old, but I will still try hard to beat him!!! Thanks for making the trip out to see us, we had a great time.

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