Newport Seafood and Wine Festival

Jeannelle, her sister Juel, and I enjoyed a girl's trip to the Newport Seafood and Wine Festival his weekend. 

It included lots of wine tasting, lots of good food, and lots of fun! 

And of course no trip to the coast is complete without a walk on the beach...

Lastly, this beautiful mountain view greeted us as we drove over the pass on the way home, definitely makes it worth the long drive. 

All in all, it was a great weekend! 

Country vs. Captain

Today is a tough, tough day in my hockey fandom. Today is the day my beloved country plays my beloved captain in the Olympics.

USA vs Ovi

I guess technically its USA v. Russia but to many of us Caps fans, USA v. Ovi more accurately describes the battle.

It really is an impossible choice. I imagine it’s much like choosing your favorite child (unless of course you’re my parents, because then that choice would be an easy one).

I deeply want to root for the US. I love everything about this country, especially it’s Olympians. I love the feel good stories about their trek to the peak of their sport. I love how the red, white, and blue are the perfect combination of colors to represent the land of the free and home of the brave. And I wholeheartedly believe the Star Spangled Banner is greatest song of all time.

BUT...I find myself going back and forth as to whom I want to win.

The United States of America. How can I not root for the home team?? I mean, I’ve watched Miracle at least 700 times and I still cry every time Mike Eruzione invites the boys to share the gold pedal podium with him (in fact I just got chills as I typed that). It’s been 34 years since that last Miracle on Ice. It would be beyond cool to see this happen again in my lifetime. 

But Ovi. The Great Eight. The reason we cheer so loud and unabashedly at Caps games. I feel as though I’ve experienced his heartache right along with him when he lost the last Olympics, the last World Championships, and the last few playoff series. He gives his heart and soul to this sport and I would love for this sport to finally return the favor. I want him to experience the thrill of victory. And to do it on the world’s biggest stage.

In the end, whether its the good ol' US of A or the Great Eight winning the gold medal, I guess we can all just be thankful it's not Canada! 

Sno-lympics!

It's been snowing non-stop for the last few days! I'm not sure how much we have but it's definitely over a foot and there's no stopping in sight! 

Henry and I tried to play ball, 

But that lasted about one minute! Three lost tennis balls later and we decided to call it a day. Good effort though Henry! 

In other news, the Olympics have started and we're super pumped to cheer on the great US of A! We celebrated the opening ceremonies dressed in red, white and blue and enjoyed some olympic themed brownies with the Sylvesters. 

Super Sunday

We knew SuperBowl Sunday was going to be spent stuffing our mouths with football food so Emmie, Parker, Henry, and I headed over to Smith Rock to work up an appetite. The weather started out foggy and snowy, but we decided to venture out on the hike anyway.  

The first two miles were nice and flat so we took our time and enjoyed the sights. 

 I think Henry got bored with the leisurely pace because all of a sudden he darted off and jumped in the Crooked River. 

What a goofball! The water had to be freezing! I have no idea what prompted that but he seemed so determined to take a dip. 

On the way up we passed by Monkey Face and saw some climbers working their way to the top. If you look closely, you can see one of them on the left. 

Eventually we made it to the top and enjoyed some snacks. 

We saw some more climbers on the way down. Must have been a good day for climbing because there were lots of them out. 

As we reached the end of the 4 mile hike, our legs were getting pretty fatigued. Poor Parker. He did so awesome throughout the entire hike but I think a full day of snowboarding yesterday, then our 4 mile hike today really took a toll on his little legs.  

But he did it! And we made it! 

Batter Up!

Emmie and Parker are back in town! They spent most of the day snowboarding up at the mountain, but we were able to squeeze in some batting practice before the sun went down. 

In true Purcell fashion, we were hitting homeruns left and right. Baba would've been so proud! 

Little Henry even got in on the action. He was quite the outfielder. 

That was, until he discovered pinecones.