Grape stomping theme video

We typically watch this video every year before we head over to the grape stomp. It's hilarious. You have to watch it. It starts a little slow, but give it a little time; you won't be disappointed.

Stomping my feet

It's that time of year again. Grape Stomp 2008! This is the fourth annual stomp at Chateau Champoux (pronounced shampoo). We've been every year. And usually we roll over there with 10-plus people. I'd like to see that number at least twice as big this year. I want to make sure all my friends and family know about it and have a chance to plan for it.

(That's Abby stomping away in the barrel, and Taylor is kindly encouraging her from the side.)

When: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.Saturday, Sept. 13
Where: 524 Alderdale Road - south of Prosser, WA
Tickets: $45 per person if you want to enter the stomp contest, and $35 per person for non stompers
What: BBQ lunch and wine tasting in an idyllic setting
Details: Teams must be signed up by Sept. 8. Stomp begins at 11 a.m. and teams must be signed up by 10 a.m.
Who: for tickets and team information call Judy at 509-894-5005
Web site: http://www.chateauchampoux.com/

My stomping team has placed 1st twice and 2nd once. I'm looking for the trifecta this year. The prize for first place is significantly better than second.

(Team Business Time takes first!)

I look forward to seeing you all there.

Dustin

Man weekend 2008

For a number of years now I have congregated with my college roommates (they’re also my best friends) for one long weekend during the summer for a “man” weekend. We leave the ladies behind and head out to Quilcene, WA on the Hood Canal. There were eight of us this year: Matt Metsker, Taylor Swedberg, Tim Reeves, Peter Plantenberg, James Aires, Matt Kellen, Corey Bedient and myself. No, Corey did not live with us in college, nor did we hang out with him in college, but he is a great friend and is welcome to hang out with us any time. I am blessed to have so many best friends who are believers.

James’ grandparents have owned a rustic cabin on oceanfront property in Quilcene for the last 30 years. They are generous enough to let us borrow it every once in a while. The beach is brimming with oysters and clams. To get to it you have to boat or hike in. There is no electricity. The running water comes from a nearby creek. The bathroom is an outhouse in the woods. We hunt for some of our food while we’re there, and cook just about everything over the fire pit. It doesn’t get much manlier than that, now does it?

Granted, the hunting we do is dropping crab pots to the bottom of the ocean and picking clams and oysters up off the shore. And, if we’re really lucky, James will catch a fish off the shore. I’ve only seen it happen once though. Some might not think of this as traditional hunting. Regardless, it takes work to pull the pots up, cook the crab, clean the crab, and then eat the crab. Same goes for the clams and oysters. But, they’re worth the work. There’s nothing like fresh (and free) seafood.

The longest traveled award goes to Matt Kellen this year. He flew in from South Africa to take a break from his missionary work there. The rest of us came from Bellingham, Bellevue and Tacoma.

While we’re at the cabin, we usually take on some insane project. Previous projects have included a driftwood fort (which we later burned down), bonfires as large as houses, restacking rock cages around the cabin, and a monster slingshot that can shoot rocks the length of a football field or farther. This year we moved the stairs in the front of the cabin to another spot on the deck. It took some serious engineering and manpower. The creek had risen up and destabilized the stairs over the winter. They were unusable. We took care of that though. We even added a few touches of our own to give the stairs character. (The picture below shows the stairs we moved, and if you look closely the bottom stairs are made of rock, driftwood and sand.)

The only downside to this year’s man weekend was that it landed on the same weekend as my five-year anniversary. Let me ask you this, “what kind of wife lets her husband go to a man weekend on their anniversary?” The answer is, “the best wife ever.” For those of you who were at man weekend, if you haven’t said thank you to my wife for letting me go, now is as good a time as any.

I look forward to many more man weekends in the years to come. I only hope that they never land on my anniversary again.

Here's a funny video of Taylor mimicking a crab.

More and more beautiful

As Abby mentioned in a previous blog post, she puts her wedding dress on every year on our anniversary. This year was no exception. She looks just as beautiful in her dress this year as she did on our wedding day.

I won't forget how beautiful she looked when I turned around in the sanctuary and saw her for the first time in her dress. She was sparkeling!

2006


2007


2008


(If you're wondering where 2003, 04 and o5 are, they're not digitized, yet.)

Most amazing wife ever

When I arrived home on Monday after camping all weekend, this thought popped into my head: my wife does everything in marriage (including anniversaries) better than I do. (That's meant to be a compliment.) Let me explain what I arrived home to; I think you'll come to the same conclusion.

When I returned home from "man weekend", I found a gazillion things that Abby had done for me while I was away. When my ride pulled into the driveway, I saw the yard had been mowed. That's the first time Abby has mowed the yard since we've lived here; it'll be four years in September. Then, when I walked inside I found a note and several kinds of candy and baked goods laying on the kitchen table. I turned around and noticed the pantry had been completely cleaned and organized. (You don't know how much heart burn that pantry has caused me over the years. I'm a little anal-retentive when it comes to being organized and clean.) I found several more notes; each one dealing with a different love language. (If you've never read the book The Five Love Languages, then you should.) By this time I was feeling pretty loved. Acts of service is definitely one of my love languages. I walked out to the garage to put a few things away and noticed that the paint brush had been used. My jaw dropped and I quickly went outside to find that she had painted a good portion of the side of the house while I was away. Not only had she mowed the yard, but she painted part of the house. Simply amazing. I took a few of my bags up stairs and to unpack and found another note. By this time I was scanning the house for other amazing things she had done. I found the bedroom closet cleaned and organized and a note on the bathroom mirror saying she missed me. I went into the guest bathroom to open the window and noticed a shower head laying in the tub. I quickly put two and two together and ran back to our bathroom to find a brand new shower head installed in our shower. It was a rain shower head from Costco that also had a detachable shower head. I've been asking for that for more than a year now.

At some point during the surprises I called Abby at work to relay to her my sheer surprise and shock. I think she was smiling on the other end of the phone line. I went through everything I had already found, and then she said, "oh, that's all you've found?" I was like, "Are you joking?" We hung up and I proceeded about my business.

I was cleaning some clams in the kitchen and reached over and grabbed our scissors out of the knife block. They were in the same place and looked and felt very similar. The only problem was these scissors had a blue button on them. I looked at them, looked at the knife block, and then I freaked out. Abby had bought me a set of J.A. Henkels knives from Costco. They're amazing! I've been complaining about our knives for years. Once you have nice knives, you never go back.

And real quick, I found our junk drawer to be completely organized with everything in its own, new container. She had also purchased a new set of non-stick frying pans. They don't have the little bolts from the handle on the inside of the skillet, just like I wanted. And, last but not least, we're going to Hawaii either in August or November.

Notice how many times I used the words "I, me and my" in this post. If I spent a little less time focusing on myself and a lot more time focusing on her, then I might be able to keep up with my wonderful wife. She is truly an amazing wife. It is a blessing to be able to say that our love is stronger now than ever before! I can't believe we've been married five years. She sets a standard so high that I can barely keep up.

I remember it like it was yesterday

So Dustin always gives me a hard time about not writing in the blog, so I figured I'd start on a very special note for me. Some of you may know that Saturday, the 19th was our 5th year wedding anniversary. I do remember the day very vividly and every year I go back in my mind to how wonderful the day really was. I love to put on my dress (a tradition that I've kept every year on our anniversary) and I love how every time I take it out of the closet, it's even more beautiful than I remembered. The day back on July 19th, 2003 was super hot (my favorite) and I remember getting ready for everything and putting on my dress. I really did feel like a princess. There were gorgeous flowers (roses, sweet peas and hydrangeas). There were tons of family and friends there to help celebrate with us. And although it was just a day to everyone else, for me it meant getting to marry my prince. We said heartfelt vows and I knew that it was just the beginning of a lifetime with my one and only. Not every moment has been pure bliss, but I honestly believe that I married the best man in the world. Dustin is so incredibly kind and caring. He does numerous things around the house, tells me every day how beautiful I am (even on the days when I absolutely don't feel like it) and honestly cares for my well being and does anything just to make me happy. I am truly blessed to have such a wonderful husband. God definitely knew we were a perfect match. So as I reflect on one of the perfect days in the world, I am so thankful for it and for what a great husband I have because of it. I'm so excited for the next 5 years and where God will take us. It's been a great ride so far and I can't wait for what's next!

Second best dentist visit ever

I had my second best detist visit ever today. Now that's saying something! There aren't too many times in a person life when they can say they had a good visit to the dentist. I have two distinct ones that I cherish.

The first one happened when I was 15. I got my braces off after three years of torture. It was a wild and wonderful feeling to reclaim my mouth once the braces were off. Shortly after I got my braces off, the orthodontist was kind enough to insert a permanent retainer into my mouth. It sat behind the bottom front row of teeth, right in front of my tongue. It's remained there ever since.

Well not anymore. That annoying, canker-sore causing, food catching piece of metal came off today. Last night when I was flossing, part of the cement that holds the retainer in place popped off. I called the dentist first this morning to see when I could get in. It's mighty difficult to eat anything when a metal bar in your mouth is flopping around loosely. They got me in at 3 p.m. And it was gone by 3:30. An hour later and I'm still rubbing my tongue against the back of my teeth enjoying the wild sensation of smooth teeth.


(Note that there is no longer a metal bar behind the bottom front row of teeth!)

Things I'm looking forward to doing without a metal retainer in my mouth:

• Flossing without special gadgets
• Biting into an apple like a normal person
• No more food getting stuck behind/under the retainer
• Fewer canker sores

I love raspberries

Can I just say that I love raspberries? I LOVE RASPBERRIES! They are my favorite berry. And guess what season it is? Yup; it's raspberry season. Did you know that Whatcom County leads the nation in raspberry production? I guess that means I'm living in the right place.



Check out all those berries we picked Wednesay afternoon at Boxx Berry Farm. For those of you who are avid readers of our blog, that's the same farm we picked our strawberries at. The picture of us with the berries is actually in our backyard in front of our raspberry bushes. While our own raspberries are doing quite well, they're not producing the kind of quantities we can pick at the farm.

Last night when we were picking the berries, I kept saying "I love raspberries." Abby kept saying things like: "Raspberries are to you, what strawberries are to me;" "Don't the seeds bother you?;"or "It's time to go." I'd respond with my mouth full of raspberries: "I wove raserries;" "Yeah, yeah, I'm almost ready, just a few more;" "Nope, the seeds have never bothered me."

We can't wait to make jam with all our berries!

Camping at Pearrygin State Park in Withrop, WA

(A little overview picture of Pearrygin State Park.)

We decided to get away for the weekend and go camping east of the mountains. Kevin and Becky Hussey joined us for a little heat and adventure in the sweet town of Winthrop (population - not enough). The weather was perfect. In the mid-80's the whole time we were there. We had just the right amount of shade at our cozy campsite at Pearrygin State Park. We spent Friday and Saturday nights there.


(Us camping at the lake.)

We spent most of our time by the lake, either swimming or floating on Paradise. Paradise is our 8-foot-diameter donut-shaped float. It has back rests, cup holders, a ladder and an achor. It's guranteed paradise on a lake. When we weren't by the water, we were relaxing at our campsite taking naps, playing horseballs or cooking food. I think Kevin and Becky cooked all the meals while we were there. They're great camping cooks!


(This what we call horseballs. A ladder-like setup that you through golfballs attached to rope at. I hate to brag, but I think I beat Kevin 8 straight times.)

We took the North Cascades Highway over to Winthrop. This was Abby's first time across. She probably would have been more impressed had she been sitting in the front seat and not crammed in the back with all the camping supplies. She was a trooper for three hours each way. The highway is amazing. You cross two passes, Washington and Rainy passes, to get to the east side. Both of them are approximately one mile above sea level. Throw in a couple twists and turns and you've got yourself a rural mountain highway. There were a few sweet views too. For most of the trip, I recited past places along the highway where storms had done damage. I'm sure they were all real impressed too.


(Becky and Abby show off the Winthrop Marshal cruiser. We didn't cross the pass in this bad boy, but it would have been fun if we did. What a sweet ride.)

Professor Terpening

by Dustin

From now on I'd like to be referred to as Professor Terpening. Class starts at Noon on Tuesday, July 15 and ends at 1 pm Tuesday, July 15. Okay, so I'm only teaching a college class for one hour, for one day. But still, I'm teaching a COLLEGE class. I think that warrants the title Professor, don't you?

You're probably wondering how I got this gig. For the last couple years I've gone back to Western once a quarter to help with a professional communication class. A professor there has asked me to help her with her class. Typically I show up, watch a couple mock interviews the students do, and then I critic them. Usually I shower them with praise because I know how hard the class is. I took the same class with the same professor in college. It was a lot of work.

Dr. Tara Perry, the professor of the class, invited me to speak to her class about my job and about what it takes to be successful in your job. She wanted more from me than the usual feedback to the students. She wants me to share my work experience with the students. I was super honored by the gesture.

In case you're wondering why I help with the class, let me assure you, it's not because I love school. Abby and I regularly celebrate over the fact that we're no longer in school and have no homework. I help out at Western because it's my way of giving back to the school without giving to them financially.

Class is only a few days away. I better get started on the lesson plan...

My one-year anniversary... for my knee

I can't believe it's already been one year since I tore my medial meniscus. I still remember Saturday, July 7, 2007 (or 07/07/07) like it was yesterday. It's a hard date to forget. I showed up early for my work soccer tournament to get warmed up. I was the first one to the fields and had the field to myself. I jogged, stretched and got dressed for the games. I was determined to not be sore after the tourament. I was probably in the best shape I'd been in since I was 16 and the lowest weight since I was 19. I was feeling really good about this soccer tournament.

About ten minutes before the game started, I was taking shots on goal by myself when I heard (and felt) my knee pop. I thought to myself, "that was weird." Now, ordinally when someone tears their meniscus or some other muscle or tendon in their knee, they usually writhe in agony on the ground. Mine wasn't painful, yet. I thought to myself, "I better run that off." I jogged across the field trying to forget what just happened. The only problem was, every time I landed on my left knee, it popped. So I stopped running and started walking. It didn't pop when I walked. Then I thought, "I'll just go sit on the sidelines until the game starts; a little rest before the game will be good." Surely the popping will go away if I just sit down for a bit. So when it came time for the game to start, I didn't jog on to the field, I walked. I was hoping that when I did run that the popping would be gone. The referee blew his whistle, we kicked off and I started jogging. To my surprise, the popping was... still there. I immediately called for a sub, walked off the field and didn't play soccer again for three months. Within an hour my knee swelled up and it was terribly painful to walk.

I had surgery one month and one week later. I was on crutches for about a week after surgery. The recovery time for a meniscus tear is remarkably short. The doctor simply went in and removed the torn portion of the meniscus. You can see the three holes in my knee where the different tools were inserted for surgery.

I was able to get back on the soccer field about two months after surgery, much to the shegrin of my wife. You should have seen my leg, it was extremely emaciated. I had lost a lot of muscle in my leg because I wasn't able to use it.

It was a long road to full recovery. I'm happy to say that one year later, my knee isn't perfect and it never will be, but it is as good as it is going to get and I'm able to still play soccer. I played in this year's work tournament and thankfully had no long-lasting injuries. Up until a couple weeks ago, I was playing on three soccer teams; two mens teams and one co-ed team.

Here's a picture of me in action, just to prove that I can play again. The leg I'm planting on is the same leg I had surgery on. Sweet!

Played in the snow today

One of the perks of my job, I think, is that I get to go places that many others don't. For example, today I went up to Artist Point to check on snow-clearing work that our crews are doing. The 2.7-mile long road leading to Artist Point is still gated off to drivers. But it wasn't to me. I escorted a Bellingham Herald reporter and photographer past the gate to get an exclusive story on the snow-clearing progress. Crews are busy plowing and blowing snow off the highway so that we can get it open in the next couple weeks.

If you don't know what Artist Point is, then you're missing out. It is one of the tallest and most scenic vantage points in Washington State. Its sits above the Mount Baker Ski Area at 5,000 feet above sea level, and has a view of both Mount Shuksan and Mount Baker. The area is only open for about two months every year. The rest of the time it is covered with snow and closed.

I can't tell you how much fun it is getting to go "play" in the snow for my job on a day like today. It must have been 80 degrees and all sunshine. I would have loved to had a lawn chair and cooler with drinks and snacks with me. I could have lounged up there all day. I took the opportunity to throw a few snowballs. I didn't make any snow-angels or snowmen this time. Maybe next time.

Keep an eye out for a cover story in the paper tomorrow.