Well, we haven't updated in a while, but here is a quick update. We are now living in Broken Arrow, OK and completed 60 miles of the JMT this summer. We decided to cut our trip short and hang out in California for the last part of the trip. That's where the city pictures come from near the end of the set.
Here are some pictures from that trip.
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Monday, May 21, 2007
Packing
I am feeling overwhelmed with all of this packing business that needs to be done. I realized today that we are moving NEXT WEEK! Despite all of our work, there is still so much more to do...
Thursday, May 17, 2007
More John Muir Trail (JMT) Info. . .
I am anxious to post more information about our trip. I find the packing and planning to be fascinating things. It takes a lot of thinking and work to get both straightened out. I couldn't wait to post this that I found today though. Here are some pictures of what will be seeing on the trail. I cannot wait, the pictures are amazing. I am going to have to buy some extra camera batteries!
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
The End of Minnesota
Hello there! Well, in case you haven't been in contact with either BJ or me in the last month, we will be leaving Minnesota and heading back to Oklahoma at the end of May! It has been a crazy semester, what with internship applications and all, but finally it is over with. I have been accepted by a great site in Tulsa, so we will be headed back to our great state shortly.
At this point, BJ and I have made the decision to take six weeks off and do some much-anticipated travelling. This is not to say that we have not had lots of opportunities to travel within the past few years. Goodness knows we have had more than our fair share, with trips to Korea, Canada, Mexico, Colorado, Florida, the Boundary Waters, you name it. I only say "much-anticipated" because we are excited about our upcoming plans. We will be spending some time in California hiking the John Muir Trail (yes, hopefully all 225 miles of it!), and then we're going to spend some time in Florida with my family. We hope to be settled into our new place in OK in early August.
That is all for now, just thought I would hand out the official update. Now, we are off to enjoy our last couple of weeks in Minny!
At this point, BJ and I have made the decision to take six weeks off and do some much-anticipated travelling. This is not to say that we have not had lots of opportunities to travel within the past few years. Goodness knows we have had more than our fair share, with trips to Korea, Canada, Mexico, Colorado, Florida, the Boundary Waters, you name it. I only say "much-anticipated" because we are excited about our upcoming plans. We will be spending some time in California hiking the John Muir Trail (yes, hopefully all 225 miles of it!), and then we're going to spend some time in Florida with my family. We hope to be settled into our new place in OK in early August.
That is all for now, just thought I would hand out the official update. Now, we are off to enjoy our last couple of weeks in Minny!
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Jenny is a master...of arts.
Hello everyone! For many reasons, BJ and I have not been able to update our blog as we would have liked. We have had so much going on in our lives, and we wanted to be certain about how things were going to turn out before we posted it all. You should be hearing from us much more frequently now.
Some of my exciting news is that I was recently awarded my Master's degree! For my parents, who may like to see my diploma but can't right now, here is a picture. It says that I have a Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology...only a couple more years before the doctorate shows its face!
Monday, January 15, 2007
Icy Nights in Oklahoma
Well, it seems that BJ and I share a night-owl blogging tendency. As it is, I am writing from my parents' home on a visit to Oklahoma that has been unexpectedly extended by three days because of an ice storm. Time at home is never bad, and I have enjoyed spending some good, snowed-in time with my family. I only wish that BJ and Tex were here, and that I had brought some homework to do over these extra days. My flights out have twice been cancelled, and my next shot is a flight through Memphis on Tuesday morning...I am hoping for good weather!
I am excited for the coming weekend because it will be a three-day weekend trip with BJ! Details and pictures to come...
I am excited for the coming weekend because it will be a three-day weekend trip with BJ! Details and pictures to come...
Saturday, January 13, 2007
Boundary Waters
Last September over Labor Day, Jenny and I took a trip to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW). This was one of the most serene and beautiful experiences in my life. I had been wanting to take this trip since shortly after we moved to Minnesota and I heard of the existence of this place.
There is a vast system of lakes and creeks on the boundary between Minnesota and Canada. An enormous portion of this has been dedicated as wilderness area. That means no motorized boats, no modern facilities of any kind. To get around you canoe and sometimes portage. To portage means to carry all that you have, including your canoe on your back across a dry portion of land. You must also carry all of your food and anything else that is needed. Of course, during the trip, there's just a hole for a toilet, and food that can survive being carried around for long periods of time is sometimes not the tastiest. Let's not get started talking about black flies, mosquitoes, or strange noises in the night. Aside from all of this, being slightly imbalanced, this sounds like great fun to me.
When we first tried to take this trip over July 4th in 2005, we were not exactly ready for all of the demands of our proposed trip. The primary problem is that we brought our then 55 (now 95) pound yellow lab, Tex. After 10 minutes of canoeing, Jenny, Tex, and all of our supplies were floating in the lake. Tex had tried to lick the waves as a motorboat passed our canoe on a lake that we had to pass through to get to the BWCAW. Thanks to some kind boaters, we made it out safely. We promptly returned our canoe and went home.
We tried to go again over July 4th of 2006. We had to cancel this trip to go home and be with Jenny's sister, Christa, as she was going through complications in Sebastian's birth.
On the third and final attempt we had a wonderful trip, and Tex stayed in a kennel in Minneapolis. We had spent two full summers backpacking, so we were infinitely more prepared than we would have been the first time. Here are the pictures from the trip:
My favorite experiences from the trip were being all alone on an entire lake. One night we occupied the only camp site on a small lake. Another night, we had an island on Pine Lake all to ourselves. We didn't see anyone else on that lake either. We did see some signs of life though. We watched beavers swimming all around our island, and heard an as yet unidentified scary noise that night. The loon's song breaking the deafening silence of a wilderness lake is something I wish everyone could experience.
The hardest things about the trip were the long portages. Another challenge was a many mile long creek we had to navigate through to get to our dinner and bed. It was full of weeds and reeds, making the paddling strenuous. At another point, Jenny and I spent an hour wandering up and down the bank of a lake looking for a portage trail.
Overall, the experience was amazing and enjoyable. I hope that I can do it again someday.
There is a vast system of lakes and creeks on the boundary between Minnesota and Canada. An enormous portion of this has been dedicated as wilderness area. That means no motorized boats, no modern facilities of any kind. To get around you canoe and sometimes portage. To portage means to carry all that you have, including your canoe on your back across a dry portion of land. You must also carry all of your food and anything else that is needed. Of course, during the trip, there's just a hole for a toilet, and food that can survive being carried around for long periods of time is sometimes not the tastiest. Let's not get started talking about black flies, mosquitoes, or strange noises in the night. Aside from all of this, being slightly imbalanced, this sounds like great fun to me.
When we first tried to take this trip over July 4th in 2005, we were not exactly ready for all of the demands of our proposed trip. The primary problem is that we brought our then 55 (now 95) pound yellow lab, Tex. After 10 minutes of canoeing, Jenny, Tex, and all of our supplies were floating in the lake. Tex had tried to lick the waves as a motorboat passed our canoe on a lake that we had to pass through to get to the BWCAW. Thanks to some kind boaters, we made it out safely. We promptly returned our canoe and went home.
We tried to go again over July 4th of 2006. We had to cancel this trip to go home and be with Jenny's sister, Christa, as she was going through complications in Sebastian's birth.
On the third and final attempt we had a wonderful trip, and Tex stayed in a kennel in Minneapolis. We had spent two full summers backpacking, so we were infinitely more prepared than we would have been the first time. Here are the pictures from the trip:
My favorite experiences from the trip were being all alone on an entire lake. One night we occupied the only camp site on a small lake. Another night, we had an island on Pine Lake all to ourselves. We didn't see anyone else on that lake either. We did see some signs of life though. We watched beavers swimming all around our island, and heard an as yet unidentified scary noise that night. The loon's song breaking the deafening silence of a wilderness lake is something I wish everyone could experience.
The hardest things about the trip were the long portages. Another challenge was a many mile long creek we had to navigate through to get to our dinner and bed. It was full of weeds and reeds, making the paddling strenuous. At another point, Jenny and I spent an hour wandering up and down the bank of a lake looking for a portage trail.
Overall, the experience was amazing and enjoyable. I hope that I can do it again someday.
Sunday, January 7, 2007
Christmas Pictures
Here are the pictures that I took over the Christmas holiday. They are the first pictures that I have taken with my new camera. It's a Canon Digital Rebel XT. I really am enjoying it so far.
View this album by clicking on the picture. Click on view slideshow at the top of the page for a good way to look at the pictures.
View this album by clicking on the picture. Click on view slideshow at the top of the page for a good way to look at the pictures.
Saturday, January 6, 2007
First Post
It’s easy to be the first one to post on my own blog I suppose. It’s late, and my wife is out of town, so I thought I would start a blog for us. We used to have our own website. . . I guess we still do, I just don’t update it any longer. Maybe if I get with the times and get a blog I will be more likely to post updates. Time will tell.
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