Job Perks

I love my job.  No really, I LOVE my job.
But one of the things I most recently love about my job is that when the registrar is purging old files she runs across this:

And gives them to me. Don't you just want to squeeze his little chubby cheeks?

Number One

Not only did our hometown team get a shout-out on national television last weekend during the OSU-UCLA game, but we rather soundly beat the number one-ranked team in our league (West Albany) to take the number one spot in the STATE!  

Gooooo Silverton Foxes
Foxes are ranked #1!

O’Fest Road Race Series: Race #1--Sibling Submission

            We’ve always been a competitive and athletic family, so when the 2007 Oktoberfest rolled around, those of us with accommodating schedules signed up for the 5K Road Race. The morning was way too early following a hearty Friday night, but we somehow managed to make it to the starting line in time.  Gabe and Greg were still in high school and therefore in top physical condition, despite having played a tough road football game 12 hours prior.  Paddy was still a collegiate decathlete and therefore also in top condition.  I (Tony) was less than a year removed from Special Forces training, which set the stage for a high octane ultra-competitive event…

            Unfortunately for me, the running edge went to the other three boys, regardless of my valiant initial surge to the front.  The not-so-slow yet still steady pace of the other boys soon overrode my misguided effort and I found myself at the back of the only pack that mattered that day.  I matched their pace, but soon found myself falling back despite “encouraging” commentary from each Fennimore boy who passed me.  As I lost sight of them over the last rise which rounded Abbey Hill, I was determined to give a better effort in the second half of the race.

            Down the slope of College St as it enters town, my legs generated new energy and I looked into the distance for the other boys. Despite my vantage point at the beginning of a long straightaway, there was no Fennimores to be seen.  Somewhat crushed at the vanishing prospect of finishing ahead of them, I nevertheless finished my race at a high level in order to salvage at least a little pride.  As I huffed and puffed my way across the finish line, I looked around and couldn’t find the boys anywhere. Minutes later, Gabe led Paddy across the finish with Greg only seconds behind them. After everyone finished catching their breath, it was determined that these three boys had mistakenly turned back down Alder St too soon (where we had begun the race) and sprinted to the finish from the wrong direction, thus adding hundreds of meters to their 5K! They had to turn back the way they came and muster enough energy to finish 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th behind the inaugural champion, Yours Truly.  After stories were swapped and excuses were made, some minor bragging ensued, which prompted splashing with ice-cold water from water bottles, resulting in a high speed chase and water fight around the field, while exhausted racers gawked in disbelief at the reserves of energy which were on display.  This “controversial” victory spawned a series of races over the next several years.

            The result of this race demonstrates that strength alone is not enough to win the day; a true warrior must use his most valuable weapon: his brain. So stay in school, kids!

*Submitted by #14

And So It Goes...

And with Paddy flying back to Kuwait and school starting up again, thus another summer draws to a close. 

But we did it.

We actually got the entire family in ONE place at the SAME TIME.  Outstanding.  It took countless texts and three (or four) reschedules but we did it.

Now, not everyone was necessarily conscious the entire time:
 

But we certainly had fun...

Swimming in the pool!

 Cousins!

Football!

  Who needs a pack'n'play?

We celebrated summer birthdays too--all SIX of them!

And finally...the proof we were all in one spot at one time.  I'm sure the coming months (and years!) our lives will just get crazier but it's so nice that this summer it worked out.  

 M-wah!
 

Life's a Beach!--Sibling Submission

        So as the youngest I don’t have near as many good family memories from when I was younger. The one thing that I always remember though is all our family trips to the beach. Whether it was just for the day or we would stay overnight at the D’ Sands Hotel. And the great thing about Lincoln City is that they have a outlet mall there with a decent sized toy store called K.B. Toys.

        It was always a tradition to go there and get sand buckets, shovels, kites, and who knows what else. But we’d always go there or throw a tantrum until we got to go there (or throw a tantrum ‘til we got to go there, usually me) and now we are all grown up and don’t go there as a family much anymore, the K.B. Toys went out of business. And I like to joke around saying that we were the ones keeping it in business hahahaha.

        My moment I remember the strongest is the one time we went there and Therese’s boyfriend, now husband, Kevin was on crutches. But that didn’t stop him from coming down into the sand and playing with us young ones. Him and my brothers made this huge circle in the sand and built a kind of bunker looking thing on top of the circle and it looked pretty good. Well I was with my sister and we weren’t around while they were doing all this but we came back and Kevin was sitting in the middle of the circle and the bunker type wall covered up his legs and stuff so I thought that he was standing in this huge pit that they had dug out while we were not around. I was completely amazed and in total awe because this isn’t a short guy he’s a big guy like 6’5” guy. But then I realized he wasn’t standing but just sitting. :)

Submitted by the sibling Maureen

The Second for the Fourth

I have a brother.  

To be honest, I have five brothers but that's not the point right now.

I have a brother who, at 17, enlisted in the Navy and spent several years traveling the world doing cool--and I'm sure not so cool--things, and being all macho military man.  And I'm beyond proud of him and what he has done.  

And now after using the GI Bill (bet he's glad I pay my taxes on time!) he was able to get a Bachelor's degree and will be heading back into the Navy, this time as a hottie shottie officer.  Which of course, I couldn't be happier for him and this new direction for him.

And this brings me to having another brother (yes, we've already established I have four other brothers but that's still not the point), who at age 20 recently (as in last week) also enlisted in the military.  He's gonna be a Marine.  And then he'll spend several years traveling the world doing cool--and I'm sure not so cool--things, and being all macho military man.  Maybe even slightly more macho military man than Navy brother because he is, after all, in the Marines and they rate highest on the macho scale, right?

Fully aware that former statement is going to be debated at future family functions.  Ad nauseum.  Just thought I'd get it started.

And as the Fourth of July nears, it makes me think about my first and second brother who have dedicated their lives, or at least this portion of it, to being told when they can (and this is a direct quote) 'shower, shit, and shave' because they desire to make a difference and serve America and Americans.

And that's pretty cool.  And macho.  But mostly pretty cool.  And while I'll worry myself silly over both of them, I'm also beyond proud of them for following their hearts and for their overwhelming desire to serve.  

So here's to you, Tony & Gabe--thank you and I love you.  

You know, just in case I forget to tell you on the 4th.  

Himping

Himping?

That's right.  Himping.

Combines two of us siblings' favorite things to do: hiking and camping.

Back when everyone was a bit younger, but not too much younger, we made it a point to get out, see more of Oregon, appreciate nature, and get moving.  I have a great little book--titled something along the lines of 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles of Portland, or something like that--and we just started picking at random and have we ever had some good times and great trips!

One of the first trips we took was to a lovely place just Northeast of here called Bagby. And I had not thoroughly checked out the campsite and was very much not prepared with some basic necessities.

I forgot firewood.

I brought a tent that I'd never actually set up by myself before.

The campsite was fairly rustic which meant:

a) we were the only people there

b) it was absent a lovely camp host who did things like refill the toilet paper in the pit toilets

c) there was no source of potable water

d) all of the above

In my family we're a pretty hardy, never say die type though and as the kids explored the area I drove (rather quickly I might add, and yes they were definitely old enough to hang on their own) down the mountainside to a nearby town and bought TP, firewood, and some extra s'mores supplies.

All went well, we had chairs, plenty of food, a new board game to play, a creek/river rushing near the campsite...total bliss...until it came time to set up the tent.  The group of us just couldn't figure it out.  

I was quite upset.  

The boys didn't mind and hacked it on the ground under the stars in their sleeping bags while my lil' sis and I huddled in the back of the station hatchback wagon.  Not my finest night's sleep.

But the next day was great and we drove about 20 miles nearby to the Bagby Hot Springs where we reclined in rustic, rough-hewn logs that we filled with piping hot spring water.  After we were properly pruny, we headed to Pegleg Falls where there was a VERY cool humongous rope swing that quite frankly scared me to death but they enjoyed immensely (I didn't know if was a trustworthy person who had tied the rope and how secure of a branch it was on....we all survived so must have been okay).

As summer nears (though from the snow a couple weeks ago you wouldn't know) I can't help but think of all the places we still get to himp as well as all the lovely places that we have himped in the past.

And with that I'll close with one of my favorite pictures of us on a siblings (+one cousin) hike to Mirror Lake and Tom, Dick, and Harry Peak.