Happy Holidays!!

Amanda and I would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah! We missed you all during this holiday season. It was incredibly tough being away from all of our friends and family this Christmas. It is very hard to get in the Christmas spirit when the people you are so used to celebrating with are now 3,000 miles away. It is also tough when you have to work on Christmas, ugh. However, one thing that did lift our spirits was when we stepped outside on our way to work we were greeted by a surprise white Christmas. Snow is very rare here. Despite all of the precipitation this area receives, the temperature generally does not drop low enough for snow. According to the National Weather Service, there is only about a 10% chance of having a white Christmas here each year. 2012 was the exception. Aberdeen got about 1" of snow and some nearby areas got up to 4". Seeing that was the highlight of our morning and eased some of our angst about being away from home and having to work.

One inch of snow never looked so good.

Fortunately we only worked a little over half a day and had plenty of time to Skype and/or call our families. While the Skype session with the O'Malley/Doyle side of the family didn't go as planned (lasting only about 2 minutes due to technical difficulties) it was still great to see everyone, no matter how brief the encounter was. We more than made up for it though during a marathon Skype session with the Funks. Watching the organized chaos that is our 2 little nieces tearing open presents made us feel right at home, but with the added benefit of not being on cleanup duty afterwards. 

All in all, it was a very good but very different Christmas. It obviously would have been nice to be home for it, but at the same time I think we now have a better appreciation for the importance of being with family during the holidays.

In the weeks leading up to Christmas we were keeping busy though, which helped take our minds off of the fact that we wouldn't be home for the holidays.

As a preface, Amanda was supposed to be the one designated to post about her 30th birthday extravaganza, but she has been under the weather lately and understandably hasn't felt up to blogging. So I'm going to do my best to recreate the celebratory events of this momentous occasion.

Amanda has been pretty anxious about turning 30. The prospect of being done with her 20's has not been sitting well with her. Therefore, I wanted to make sure she had a birthday to remember. First, everyone from work chipped in to have a cake, snacks, drinks, a card, and an all important certificate of achievement for turning 30 prepared for her. This allowed us to have a nice lunch time party for her, the first work related birthday party Amanda has ever had.

Turning 30 is quite the achievement

That weekend I took Amanda to Portland to celebrate in style. Now, I will admit I am a cheapskate when it comes to hotels. As long as it's not completely sketchy, I want the cheapest hotel when we travel somewhere. This often results in Amanda being displeased with our accommodations. In an attempt to make up for this, I booked a fancy pants hotel in downtown Portland. The Hotel Monaco is a very modern, very swanky establishment catering to only the finest of travelers. It was amazing. We enjoyed a complimentary wine/beer happy hour with live music and chocolate tasting, free coffee and hot chocolate bar, and had access to free bike rentals for touring the city. In addition to this we were provided our very own goldfish for the room (to improve the atmosphere) and a bottle of champagne with rose petals on the bed because it was Amanda's birthday. We could not have been more pleased with the service.

Not bad for a hotel lobby.

We can at least pretend to be fancy.

In addition to walking around downtown and visiting the numerous shops, restaurants, and the weekend craft market, Amanda and I visited two Christmas events in Portland. First, we went to Pittock Mansion. This is a historical mansion built in 1914 that overlooks the city of Portland and was owned by The Pittock family, who ran The Oregonian newspaper. Currently, the mansion is owned by the city of Portland. There are tours throughout the year, but during Christmas the mansion is extravagantly decorated and carols can be heard throughout the house. It was a great way to meld the history of Portland with the sights and sounds of Christmas.

Gloomy weather outside the mansion...

...all the Christmas spirit you can handle inside.

That night we traveled to The Grotto, which is just east of Portland. This is 62 acre botanical garden and Catholic shrine to Mary. Each year this site hosts the Festival of Lights, which consists of a Christmas light display, hourly choir performances, and roaming carolers. The rain held out just long enough for us to enjoy the outdoor light display before we headed into the chapel to hear the choirs. While we saw a women's choir who were phenomenal, the highlight of the night was listening to the PHAME Academy Choir. This group was made of adults with developmental and/or mental disorders who express themselves via the arts. Not only was the crowd moved by their energetic and heartfelt performance, the choir was loving the spotlight. Between songs, they could be seen cheering each other on and fist-pumping as the applause rained over them. You couldn't help but be inspired by their enthusiasm.

The PHAME Academy deservedly stole the show.

After our Portland Birthday Bash, we planned to head to the mountains last Saturday for a day of skiing/snowboarding. Unfortunately, that's when Amanda started feeling sick. However, being the trooper that she is, she toughed it out and stuck to the plan. We traveled to Crystal Mountain, arguably the best ski area in Washington.

8 feet of snow fell in the 7 days
prior to our Crystal Mountain trip!

The conditions were absolutely perfect. It was the best time I have ever had snowboarding. Despite being run down and fatigued, Amanda mustered up every ounce of energy she had and spent most of the day on the slopes. While it was impressive at the time, I think it might be contributing to her inability to shake whatever is still causing her to feel sick. Hopefully a restful few days this weekend will help her recover. After all, New Years is coming up and we need Amanda back in action!

Rest could be hard to come by though, since we have had yet ANOTHER issue with our mattress. Remember when we were bragging about getting a luxury air mattress? Well, it is no more. One night, at about 2:30 AM, we awoke flat on the floor of our bedroom. Apparently a seam on the air mattress busted in the middle of the night, causing a 6-7 inch gash that rapidly expelled all of the air we were sleeping on. I would give anything to watch a video of us plummeting towards the ground as we slept. Luckily, it is under warranty, but we are still awaiting out new mattress from Coleman. In the mean time, we are roughing it by using our sleeping bags. It's like we get to go camping every night!

Well, there's your problem.

Less than ideal, but making the best of it.

Since this is the last post of 2012, and it's already insanely long, I'm going to take a few more lines to say how amazing this past year has been. There has been so much change, so many unbelievable experiences, an increased appreciation for our friends an family, and so many amazing people that have entered our lives. We are so thankful for all of it and can't wait to see what 2013 has in store for the O'Malleys.

Hopefully no more bed issues, we have had enough for one year.

Rain? Who Cares...

Come Tuesday or Wednesday Charlie and I begin itching for a new adventure.  It keeps the dreary weeks moving when we're planning and looking forward to something new.  We've been working in Western WA for about a month now and decided it was time to head north into the Olympic Peninsula.  One side note I'd like to include is that WA is true wilderness and my cautious side has definitely taken form as we begin to explore wild Washington in the winter.  I can't help but get slightly anxious and feel my stomach churn as I am repeatedly faced with warning signs in regard to natural dangers surrounding us.  Here are just a few examples: AVALANCHE DANGER, Extreme Danger Zone - CLIFFS (positioned just beside an intermediate ski trail), tree well and deep snow safety: snow suffocation hazard.  And don't forget that we currently live in a tsunami hazard zone!  Lets just say I'm slightly overcautious at this point, but I think we'd be crazy not to be!!!  Charlie loves my older and wiser cautious side (Amanda says sarcastically).

Scary, right?!

Where was I?  Oh yes, the Olympic Peninsula, which is home of Olympic National Park, Olympic National Forest, various logging communities, reservation land, and we can't forget the town of Forks.  Forks is where the Twilight book series is based, which seriously increased the tourism (from approximately 10,000 to 73,000 visitors) for this small town of roughly 3,500 people.  Pretty impressive.

We decided to make our first trip into the peninsula a day trip so that we could spend one day getting our shed, I mean home, a bit more Christmasy.  The weather forecast showed Sunday as having less constant rain, so Sunday it was!  We rose early and headed out before sunrise to make the most of the short day.  With limited time we chose two areas of interest to focus on, Lake Quinault and the coast.  After driving for about an hour we veered from the main road, highway 101, to take a scenic drive around Lake Quinault and along the Quinault River as daylight finally arrived.  We stretched our legs to take a walk along a short trail leading to the world's largest spruce tree.   

This Sitka Spruce tree is 58' 11" in circumference and 191' tall!
Whoa baby!
See the orange spec at the bottom? Those are Charlie's pants.

The drive took us into the Quinault Rain Forest and allowed us to dip slightly into the southwest portion of Olympic National Park. We were in awe of the lush vegetation but pleasantly surprised when we were greeted by bald eagles and herds of Roosevelt Elk. We saw at least 10 bald eagles either perched high in trees or gracefully soaring through the air. As for the Roosevelt Elk, we saw a bull and herds consisting of females and calves. One herd crossed the road about 200' from us. Luckily they provided a show and did not trample our beloved Ford Escape.



I don't make this stuff up...

Rainforest.  Female Roosevelt Elk.

We left Olympic National Park psyched about all the wildlife we'd just encountered but turns out I was ready for a nap.  Luckily Charlie is a champ and let me rest my eyes until we arrived in Forks.  Cute little town with some good Diet Pepsi (to wake Amanda up) and Kettle cooked Jalapeno potato chips (to reward Charlie for his top notch driving).  Rejuvenated, we continued onward and arrived at Second Beach trail head.  This is part of the Pacific coastal strip designated "wilderness" under the National Park System.  Interestingly, protection of this land is shared by the NPS, Washington Maritime National Wildlife Refuge Complex, and Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary.  We began a short hike through the forest as we headed toward the beach in as much water proof and water resistant gear as we could put together.  We didn't have to work very hard to enjoy the awesome rugged and rocky beach that was at the end of the trail.  We spent a long time exploring the beach, climbing on the slippery rocks and searching tide pools for cool creatures. Check out the pictures, they are better than words...

Beautiful Sea Anemone

Starfish everywhere!

We had enough daylight for one more slightly longer hike to Third Beach.  Creative names, huh?  This beach was unique with two opportunities to see fresh water meeting the ocean. 

This picture is for you Lindsay Knepper!

Satisfied and only slightly damp as we peeled off our many layers, we were ready for a good meal to end the day.  We enjoyed a delicious dinner at The Salmon House Restaurant that was recommended by one of Charlie's patients. The garlic bread and fresh salmon hit the spot while the ambiance of a fireplace, a slide show of local natural wonders, and mounted wildlife all around made it that much better. 

We returned to reality for another week of work and the last few days I'll spend in my twenties. :( 

Until next time...I'll bid you all farewell as you continue preparing for the busy weeks ahead.  Take time out to remember what the Christmas Season is all about! 

Merry Christmas!!

 

Playing in the Rain

I just can't help myself. I know 2 posts in 3 days might be a bit much, but I can't stop thinking about how behind we are on the blog. It's my blog driven OCD coming to the forefront again. So let me fill you in on all of our rain soaked western Washington adventures.

We didn't know what to expect when we started our new jobs at Hoquiam's Pacific Care Rehab but were immediately shocked by two things on our first day:

1) Despite no orientation a full caseload of patients, including evaluations, awaited us.
2) Most of the therapy staff are travelling or contracting therapists.

This meant that despite a hectic work situation, we were going to be surrounded by young and fun people, just like us! This fortunate situation has facilitated the majority of our weekend excursions to this point. It is such a good group of people to be around. Everyone is looking to hang out and do stuff, which is great because Amanda and I love to hang out and do stuff!

Most notably, there are two other couples we are spending a lot of time with. Jared and Jen are two occupational therapists that are from Florida and contracted to work at Pacific Care Rehab for 2 years. There is also Jennell, a travelling physical therapist from Montana who will be here through January, and her husband Brandt. They are all just normal, adventurous, and outdoorsy people who we immediately got along with.

On our first weekend, we were recruited to go razor clam digging. Even though we had no idea what we were getting into, we excitedly agreed to partake. After buying our licenses, some rain gear, and galoshes, we studied the art of clam digging on YouTube and felt prepared to find some clams.

This cheesy video was our guide:

We had to wait though, because the best time to dig for clams is at low tide, which didn't occur until 9:00 at night. So there we found ourselves, on the beach, covered in darkness, pelted by rain, and with our new crew of friends ready to go hunting. Even though it was virtually impossible to spot the craters used to target the clams, Amanda was unstoppable in the early going. She was catching clams left and right. Unfortunately, she lost interest and focus, causing her numbers to drop as the night went on. I had a hard time spotting them initially, but redeemed myself by finding the biggest clam of them all. After 1.5 hours of combing the beaches, we all left with our fill of clams and headed home to dry off.

Our catch: 9 clams
and a sand dollar

Once again we turned to the Internet to figure out how to dissect the meat from these clams. It actually ended up being a fun, but tedious, process. Once the clams were all hacked up and the meat harvested, we turned it into clam chowder. Lots of clam chowder. We will have enough to easily last us through April.

Before

After

Following our clam weekend, we headed to Olympia, WA. This is the closest major city to the Aberdeen/Hoquiam area and the place to go if you want to do any shopping or movie watching. We decided to do both. We went to REI's garage sale, started our Christmas shopping, and saw Flight. All three we successful endeavors. We found some good deals at REI, started crossing off items from our lists of people to buy for, and really enjoyed the movie. Olympia is a great place to find entertainment and get away from the low key coastal region.

After we returned from Olympia we realized that snow was falling heavily in the mountains and some of the ski areas were beginning to open. The mountains were calling and we had to answer. Amanda and I found a great cabin to rent near Mt. Baker in northern WA. Jared, Jen, Jenelle, and Brandt were just as psyched to hit the slopes as we were. When we arrived on Friday night, the snow reports showed a base depth of over 50" of snow. From Friday through Sunday over 20" of snow fell, and we were in the midst of most of it.

While on the mountain on Saturday, it was near whiteout conditions, with heavy, wet snow that was more than knee deep in some areas. Amanda actually got stuck in the soggy powder at one point. She totally freaked out, acting as if she would be forever buried in the Mt. Baker snow. I couldn't even go near her to help until she stopped flailing her arms and ski poles for fear that I would be impaled. Fortunately we got her unstuck and she enjoyed the rest of the day without further incident. I had my fair share of mishaps too. There was so much snow falling that you couldn't see the contours in the terrain and it was easy to lose control and fall flat on your face. I wouldn't have traded it for anything though. I was just happy to be on a high altitude western mountain with real snow. Even in less than ideal conditions, this was better than any east coast snowboarding I have experienced.

What made it even better were the luxurious amenities, including a hot tub, awaiting us at our cabin following a day on the snow. We had an amazing time with our new friends, relaxing, eating, sharing stories, and just genuinely having a good time. It was a perfect ski/snowboard weekend.



Mt. Baker, covered in snow

No snow here, just a sweet cabin

Fun fact about Mt. Baker: It currently holds the record for most snowfall on any mountain in a single season at 1140 inches, or 95 feet, during the 1998-1999 winter season.

That is just a completely ridiculous amount of snow. As I compose this blog, there is now 117 inches of snow at the base of Mt. Baker. Compare that to Blue Mountain in PA which currently has less than a 12 inch base. No contest. Mother nature is the only snow making machine needed at Mt. Baker.

Now we are back to the work grind, awaiting this weekend's new adventure. There are plenty of options around here, hiking, skiing/snowboarding, snowshoeing, going out in the city; we have it all. There is no shortage of things to do here. We are confident that we're going to have an exciting time in western Washington, and we can't wait to share it all with you over the next few months.

...and now I can sleep, we are all all caught up!

Yosemite. Need I Say More?

As I was telling Amanda tonight, for some reason I feel ill when we are behind on blog updates. Is this a bad omen that means I'm becoming obsessive compulsive over this blog? Does it indicate that I just miss family and friends and want this blog to be the life line that keeps me connected to them? Maybe both?

Probably both...definitely both.

Well, here goes another attempt to get you closer to being caught up to what we are doing and where we have been. After all, this blog is for you. Sure, it's a great way for Amanda and I to look back on the ridiculous things we have done, but ultimately it is a way for you to feel like you are riding along with us.

When we left you last, we were heading to Yosemite from Sacramento, a trip we could not have planned any better if we tried. First, we had unseasonably beautiful weather for the duration of our time there. Normally most roads and camp sites are closed by early November due to bad storms and heavy snowfall. However, we saw nothing but clear skies, meaning all areas of the park were accessible. Also, at this time of year, there aren't as many visitors, so we didn't have to fight through crowds to see the magnificent sights present in this amazing National Park. It was perfect.

Upon arrival to the park, we headed to the visitor center in Yosemite Valley. In a stunning turn of events, we were unexpectedly greeted by none other than Shelton Johnson. For those of you who don't know him, he is a park ranger extraordinaire and one of the stars of Ken Burns' documentary on the U.S. National Parks. We were enthralled with this documentary and particularly enjoyed Shelton's commentary. He is so passionate about the National Park System. It was an honor to speak one-on-one with him and we took all of his advice to heart. If you get a chance, "The National Parks: America's Best Idea" is available to watch on Netflix and is well worth the investment of time.

Shelton Johnson: Rock star

After talking to Shelton, we were amped up and ready to attack Yosemite. We knew we only had 2 days to explore and wanted to make the most of it. After we set up camp, we hiked to Columbia Point, which gave us a great view of Yosemite Valley.

Overlooking Yosemite Valley

When we awoke the next morning, we knew we had to hustle because it would be a busy day. First we traveled north to Tuolumne Meadows for a spectacular hike to Cathedral Lake. We encountered various terrains, including mud, snow, and boulder fields along this hike, but once we reached the lake, we knew why this is one of the most scenic areas of the whole park.

Sometimes stacked rocks
were your only trail markers

 

The fruits of our hiking labors

After finishing this hike, we made the long drive south to Glacier Point. As Shelton told us, "It is against the law to come to Yosemite and not go to Glacier Point." It did not disappoint. Glacier Point, with the Sierra Nevada Mountains as a backdrop, offers spectacular views of the majestic Yosemite Falls (a 2,425 foot waterfall) and rock formations such as Half Dome. If you can't appreciate the absolute beauty of nature from this viewpoint, there is something seriously wrong with you. It has to be one of the most breathtaking places on earth.

This is why you come to Yosemite

After the sun had set on Glacier Point, we headed back to our camp site to reflect on the whirlwind tour of Oregon, the Redwood Forest, San Francisco, Sacramento, and Yosemite that we had just undertaken. Our only regret was that we didn't have more time to spend in each place. Once again though, our timing was impeccable. As we packed up the car and headed out of Yosemite, the storm clouds which would bring the first major snowfall, and subsequent closing of large areas of the park, began rolling in.

We successfully avoided the snow, only to return to the relentless rains of Aberdeen WA. Honestly, it rains just about every day. But don't worry, it hasn't stopped us from continuing our adventures. Our next post, coming soon, should get you up to speed on all of our rain (and snow) laden escapades. That should also put my crazed, blog-centric mind at peace. I can't wait!