Monday, August 30, 2010

Ready, set, go!


August has been a big month for me as far as blessings go. God swept away some of my biggest anxieties and replaced them with incredible joys; and as it was done in such an epic, grandiose way, He made it pretty clear to whom all the credit is due (it's all you, Big Guy!).

A few weeks ago, I was "laid off" from a job that was the root of much stress and unhappiness, only to be hired five hours later by another company. My new position has more responsibility, will involve more writing, and will not only compensate me fairly, but also provide me with 100% company paid health benefits and a matching 401k plan.

And if that weren't enough, on Saturday, my wonderful boyfriend became my wonderful fiance! KC took me to the Portland Japanese Gardens, where he proposed to me in the presence of our parents and presented me with the most gorgeous ring. My happiness is complete; I can't wait to marry the man I've grown to love and admire so tremendously.


The proposal



I said yes!





Exquisite!











And my face has looked like this pretty much ever since...



Look at those happy moms!


I feel like I'm starting off on a whole new journey, and best of all, I get to share it with KC, who is the perfect companion. Don't we serve a mighty God? Merciful in His grace and overwhelmingly generous in His provision ;)

Friday, August 27, 2010

August backpacking


As promised, here are the photos from our August 6th-8th backpacking trip. We hit the other side of Mount Hood this time (as opposed to last year's trip), and hiked through Cairn Basin and Eden Park.


Starting out Friday afternoon



Brian, Maurice, KC, and Sandi



Hitting the Vista Ridge trail



Pristine Mount Hood



Meadow wildflowers (as captured by KC)





The beautiful meadow we camped next to on the first night



Setting up camp





These sweet, pinwheel flowers dotted the meadows everywhere we went





Group shot ;)



Heading up to the glacier



The view from the top









My favorite backpacking companion







One of the lovely little streams that ran through our meadow



Friday's sunset







Good morning, mountain!





Another serene meadow



Brian and Sandi





We stopped for lunch next to Falls Falls (yes, that's really the name), which was raging









Eden Park, our campsite on Saturday



KC, multi-tasking



Brian and Sandi fix dinner, while Maurice looks on



The perfect campsite



An unexpected rainbow and cloud hood phenomenon



More mountain ;)



It doesn't look that intimidating in this picture, but crossing this fierce stream was quite the challenge





The trail home, on the last day


Another amazing trip, with breathtaking scenery and good company!