Winter 2011-2012

Sad that I have to look back on my pictures to see what I’ve done the past season…makes me wonder how many things I’ve forgotten because I didn’t capture the moment on film!

Curtis and I spent Thanksgiving at my mom’s place, catching up with as many friends as possible which made for a fun but exhausting weekend. Christmas we spent in Yakima with Curtis’ family. It was different not being with my family, but I did meet my mom for breakfast in Cle Elum, so it was great to have a leisurely visit with her on Christmas Eve morning. New Year’s I had a horrible cold which prevented us from meeting up with friends in Bend and put me in a funk. I’m pretty sure I didn’t stay up until midnight, but honestly I don’t even remember!

In January we attended the “Young Life Celebration”, an all-staff conference held every four years in Orlando, FL. It is an amazing five days of incredible speakers (Francis Chan and Tim Keller), worship, fun, testimonies, seminars, inspiration and surprises. The biggest surprise was YL renting out Sea World for us for an entire evening! We got to roam around going on the roller coasters and seeing the shows and finished the evening with a fun concert, entertainment by Jeff Foxworthy, and a fireworks show! Getting food poisoning put a damper on the end of the week, but it was still amazing. I wondered if that was a bit how kids feel when they come to camp here at WFR – just blown away by all the care and attention that goes into every detail from the meals to the program to the rides!

Curtis and I at Universal's "Islands of Adventure" - I went on all the rides thanks to my good friend Dramamine!

Since we were already on the east coast, we decided to take a few days to visit our nation’s capitol. So we spent three full days exploring Washington DC with our good friends from the ranch, Mark and Mandy Lofdahl. Mandy and I had been there before, but it was the first time for Mark and Curtis. We visited lots of monuments (MLK, Korean and WWII were new to me), museums, the National Cathedral and Arlington Cemetery. We enjoyed seeing everything, and had a really fun time together.

The four of us in front of the White House

MLK Memorial with the Washington Monument in the background

In front of the Capitol Building

The off-season is great for the community out here. We have staff worship every other Thursday night, community parties, shared meals, Bible studies, and lots of walks around “the loop”. It has been great to start to get to know folks out here better since summer was crazy and the few spare moments I did have I spent with Curtis. I am in a women’s small group Wednesday mornings with a great group of ladies. We started with the book Crazy Love by Francis Chan, in anticipation of hearing him speak in Florida, and are now reading The Wounded Healer by Henri Nouwen. It is a great time of fellowship and the openness of the ladies out here to share everything in their lives is challenging me to open up more. I love being in a community where everything and everyone points me to Jesus, and more intimacy with Him.

Curtis and I also did a study with five other (married) couples – we watched the video series by Emerson Eggerichs based on his book Love and Respect. It is centered on the verse in Ephesians encouraging husbands to love their wives and wives to respect their husbands, which are the respective deepest needs of women and men. It was a fantastic series and we learned tons about ourselves and each other. It has also given us words to use to express what is happening when we experience conflict, and ways to build each other up so that we experience less conflict to begin with!

Of course winter brings on the ski bug, and I have been eager to check out what Central Oregon has to offer. Curtis and I agreed that if he tried XC skiing with me, I would go downhill skiing with him. So one day we hit Mt. Bachelor for some XC skiing and he picked it up immediately, looking like a pro after just a few strides. Then a few weeks later we went to Hoodoo (the other big ski area in Central Oregon) with friends from the ranch, Lance and Jan Wagner. We overnighted at the home of a wonderful lady named Marianne Walker who opens up her home as a “B&B” to anyone from the ranch who needs a place to stay while in town. Then the next day the four of us went XC skiing and really had a wonderful time of skiing and just being together.

My model boyfriend's 1st time on XC skis

I also had an awesome weekend with my mom on the slopes. She flew into Redmond, OR (near Bend) and we stayed two nights at Marianne’s and explored Bend and Sisters. We went snowshoeing, XC skiing and on a sled dog ride! We also shopped, ate at a drive-thru Thai restaurant, went in a “soaking pool” and out to the movies. Great mother-daughter time! I stayed one extra night at Marianne’s so that I could fulfill my end of the bargain and go downhill skiing with Curtis. Actually Curtis’ friend John invited Curtis and I sort of tagged along. The skiing that day was epic. Besides the “roll-back-to-the-80’s” price of $10.50 for a lift ticket, there was six inches of fresh powder and beautiful sunshine.

My mom and I snowshoeing

Dog sledding with Mt. Bachelor in the background!

I feel so blessed as I sit here in my cozy home typing up these wonderful experiences and listening to my cat snore. Thank you Lord.

Fall 2011

Fall is beautiful out here with cold, sunny days. When we acquired the property 13 years ago, we began planting deciduous trees, so now there is a visible, beautiful reminder of the season. I have gotten in a few bike rides and horseback rides on weekends and am enjoying the slower pace of getting off at 5 pm everyday again.

Labor Day weekend Curtis and I went to his family’s farm in Selah to help with the corn harvest. It was a blast picking corn and getting to know Curtis’ family. In October we went back to take Curtis’ brother to a motorcycle race that they go to every year.


Curtis driving the tractor through the cornfields, shooting at blackbirds.


Sorting the corn into bins. The corn is sold there at their farm, also to local produce stands and grocery stores.

September 1st I moved into my own condo, and it has been so fun unpacking and decorating and finally having my own space! All the condos were built by the “previous occupants”. The condos were identical 2,600 sq ft, 10 bedroom, 4 bathroom (split toilet room/shower room, so technically 8 bathrooms!) houses with no living room or kitchen. The condos are in various states of remodel. In my house one bedroom is semi-remodeled into a kitchen, and two bedroom walls were knocked out to make a living room upstairs and downstairs. So I am left with a cozy 7 bedroom condo all to myself – obviously I have loads of room, so come visit!!! I have already had awesome visits with my mom, Annette and her kids, my friend Elias and his family, and Josh and Liz Stiger.


Home sweet home!


Annette and Cody at the bottom of the innertube waterslide.


We had a blast in the pool and on the waterslides during the Miller visit the last weekend in September.

Marta the cat joined me in October. I cat-sat for my next door neighbors while they were gone for two weeks, and she never left. My neighbors were thinking about getting rid of her, and I was thinking about getting a cat, so it worked out perfectly! She often goes over to visit, so we are all happy.


Marta the Cat

Summer 2011

Camp was busy and crazy and I loved it! Part of my job is communicating with the Work Crew (high school volunteers) who come for 3-4 weeks to serve the campers in housekeeping, the kitchen, the dining hall etc. It is awesome to see all these young people who want to work 7 days a week for no pay! They come to serve Jesus by serving the campers here, and they build amazing Christian friendships and community amongst themselves. There were always tears as they said goodbye on the last day of the session! Another part of my job is coordinating the Adult Guest Program. This is a chance for adults to come and experience camp with the kids, while in the comfort of their own beautiful lodge with a private room and bathroom. The hope is that they will catch the vision of Young Life, and get involved in some way. They have a host couple and another couple comes as Tour Hosts, to give drop-in visitors tours of the camp. I am the point person for each of these couples, so I kept my radio close by when I wasn’t with them!

Sometime in June Curtis and I started officially dating! We spent lots of evenings sitting on his deck talking and watching the moon come up over the hills. It was so natural and easy to get to know each other through biking, and the relationship just continued from there. It has been so fun to get to know him and to spend time together!


Curtis and I at luau night at camp.

My cousin Diane got married to Ben in August and Curtis came with me to the wedding and the ensuing family reunion near Mt. Rainier. The wedding was beautiful and the reunion was a blast, as always.


Me with my beautiful cousin, Diane the bride!

Camp ended with a literal bang when a huge thunder and lightning storm struck the last night of camp in August. Lightning strikes all over the property left us firefighting for the next week. So much for resting up after camp ended!


The fires were so big and close that it was "all hands on deck" and I got to help for 1.5 days until I got called into the office to help run command. It was a fun experience but I was ready for the clean, cool office again!


My legs after one day out on the fires. I was wearing pants, socks and boots all day, but I guess the ash managed to puff up my pant legs!

When the fires were finally under control we went to Bend for a few days and visited with our friends the Whites and the Pringles. The first night the three of us couples went on a “progressive dinner” in town and had a blast! We also got a fun bike ride in the next day.


The Pringle and White boys ready to hit the road!

Spring 2011

April was a busy month of packing, organizing, good-bye parties, and a week with Clayton, ending in a quick trip to Florida to deliver him to his parents which lasted a little longer than expected when I volunteered to get bumped 2x in Denver.


Clayton and I at Grandpa's pool in Florida

April 30th my dear friends from Portland, the Pringles drove up with a truck and a trailer to help me move. Kim Maris, another ranch friend, came over to lend her packing expertise. It seems that I have a lot more belongings then I did when I moved to the ranch 10 years ago, and was able to fit everything into my mom’s little Honda for her to deliver me to Buckley to get a ride from Dave Lewis. I didn’t even have a car back then!

The next day the Pringles and I drove to the ranch and unloaded my belongings in four different locations! (I have since consolidated to three, but I am looking forward to September, when I get my own place and can put everything in one house!) Besides a mini-meltdown the first night, I have jumped into ranch life with my usual vigor and desire to be involved in everything! I was surprised at how easy and seamless the transition was. I love living with the Karrs, my job, the community and all that living in the country and on a YL property entails. Thank you Jesus!

Just two weeks into my time here, Creekside, the new camp on the property, opened. There were a lot of late-nighters/all-nighters for many of the staff and contractors here in preparation for the opening. It is an incredible camp with a mining theme, centered around a great pool with waterslides. It is designed for middle schoolers, and I trust the Lord is going to do some amazing things in the hearts of young people there this summer, and in years to come!



Memorial Day weekend was the much anticipated family camp at Creekside. I was delighted to have so many special people in my life attend the camp. I had the 3-day weekend off and stayed down at camp with Marybeth, Clayton, Beth and Anya. It was a special time of being together and I was happy to show my dear Bellevue friends my ranch life!


The Pringles enjoying a "Sassy treat"


Anya and I at the Carnival


Preston and Margo at the Carnival - those Elephant Ears came back to haunt all us grown-ups!


Our cabin picture - Marybeth, Kari, Beth, Clayton and Anya

Last weekend was the Wild Canyon Games, a crazy 2-day sporting event with teams of 7. It is a fundraiser for Young Life and several other youth organizations. This was its third year, and each year the number of participants has doubled. There were 103 teams this year! On Saturday there was a triathalon that three of the teammates participate in, and simultaneously the other four teammates do a 5-hour geocaching event. In the afternoon each teammate has a challenge event, but the whole team has to be present, so we spent about three more hours running around between the two camps doing the events. Sunday was the “Creek to Peak” challenge, with each teammate doing a leg of the 7-part race, ending at the top of Communication Hill. My part on Saturday was the 15.5 mile mountain bike race. In preparation I bought a new mountain bike and have been riding almost every day of the month I have been here. I have a new bike buddy out here, Curtis, who did the mountain bike part the last two years. He helped me train and we have had fun getting to know each other on long rides around the property.


Curtis at the Fire Tower


"Big Muddy Co-Ed" - go team!


Me starting up the last climb, "Heartbreak Hill"

Now we are just two weeks away from the beginning of camp. There is a lot to do before then, but I am excited about the summer and all that it will bring!

Winter 2010-2011

As spring officially begins this weekend, I figured it was time to write my winter blog! Maybe I say this about every season, but it was a crazy season!! It started off common enough enjoying Thanksgiving in Portland with the Pringles, and Christmas at my mom’s house. Late December I went to a skate-ski clinic in Winthrop with the Middleton-Young family and had a blast learning to skate ski! I have been skiing about once a week, although bursitis in my left shoulder has forced me to ski without poles most of the time. I spent New Year’s Eve with the Parsons at their condo in Wenatchee and we had a great time sledding, playing games and just being together.


Annette and I XC skiing

Then things started to get a little crazy! I had wanted to volunteer at the Washington Family Ranch (in Oregon) this summer, and the Camp Manager told me I had until March 1st to decide. Around New Year’s he asked if I had a better idea of my plans as they were in the midst of hiring interns. After a few days of praying and agonizing I emailed Rich that yes, I was coming! But I was not finished with agonizing decisions yet…Rich then called to ask me if I would be interested in applying for a full-time year-round office position. I had some plans in my head of what I wanted to do this year, and getting a job was not actually one of them :) But when I read the job description I was intrigued. It sounded perfect for me. So I applied, interviewed, and was offered the job. The two days prior to accepting I cried…a lot. It was difficult to know if that was where I should be or not. Although I prayed and fasted I never received clear guidance from the Lord. He did not fling the door open wide, however he did not close it either, so I trust that He will bless this decision.

They were looking to hire someone to start February 15th. But I felt I had too much to wrap up in Bellevue and negotiated moving to May 1st, although I did start part-time February 15th. January was crazy with three weekends out-of-town, moving from the Johnston’s back to Beth and Anya’s house, and accepting this new job (while continuing to nanny and work at Bellevue YL). The first out-of-town weekend was interviewing at the Ranch and visiting the Kearbys in Yakima on the way home. The next weekend was in Portland with the Johnstons, going to a Derek Webb concert at Donald Miller’s condo and watching the filming of Blue Like Jazz. And the third weekend was back to Winthop with my mom, XC skiing and snowshoeing. It was special time together as our last big event before I move.


Mom and I


Sun Mountain Lodge in Winthrop


View from our hotel room!

In February I spent one week at the Ranch being trained on my new job. It is surreal moving back there ten years later. So much has changed, yet so much is still the same. I have visited several times a year each year over the past ten years, so it seems natural to be there for as long as a week, but I am having trouble wrapping my head around the fact that I will really be living there again! I returned home to Bellevue for two weeks, during which time I was working all three jobs, starting to pack, and visiting or scheduling time with friends and family for “one more visit” before I go.


Girl time! Pedicures with sis-in-law Teresa, mom, me, cousin Vanessa

Now in March I am back at the Ranch for two weeks while the Johnstons are in Europe and Africa. I am enjoying my work, and the peace and quiet of country living, where I have seen more elk and deer than people! The five of us in the admin department went on an overnight last weekend to a cabin near Sisters, Oregon, right on the Metolius River. We hiked along the river, shared life stories, ate good food, and laughed a lot :) They are great people and I already enjoy working with them.

Stay tuned for the next blog with stories of Ranch life!


The admin department on our retreat


See the white building on the left? That's my new office!


The camp


View on my "commute" (10-15 min by bike)

Autumn 2010

This autumn I’ve been on the move! Two days after returning from YoungLives camp I went to Southern California for two days with the Johnstons when they moved Brittany down to Chapman University. (She later transferred to SPU, but that is another story). I had the tough job of taking Clayton and James to Disneyland for the day! Clayton and I also stumbled upon the Crystal Cathedral which was walking distance from our hotel, and enjoyed exploring the grounds, seeing the statues and reading the Scripture verses inlaid on the paths.




A week later I attended my cousin Thea’s wedding near Bozeman, Montana. The Johnstons graciously allowed my family to stay in their phenomally gorgeous and enormous home at the Yellowstone Club, and it was a second family reunion to have so many of us together in one place again. We enjoyed every minute of it, watching movies, going hiking, sitting in the hot tub etc. Nate and Thea’s wedding was one of the most beautiful and meaningful I have experienced. It started as an outdoor wedding, but began to thunder as Thea walked down the aisle, and partway through the service we grabbed our chairs and headed indoors as the rain picked up. They finished the service in the reception area, with everyone sitting at the dinner tables. But it was cozy and intimate and felt like an adventure.



Four days later I went to a class in Coquille, OR (on the coast near Coos Bay) called The Complete Cob. It was nine days of living in a tent in the rainforest and playing with giant mud pies all day. We learned how to build a cob cottage from the ground up. “Cob” is an Old English word for “lump”. Cob is a mixture of clay-dirt, sand, water and straw, mixed on a tarp with bare feet and then lumped onto a wall to build a house. It is truly an amazing building material, with the straw adding tensile strength the way rebar does in concrete. Natural building is very forgiving, beautiful, inexpensive, fun, and the results are incredible. A house you can build from the dirt under your feet with no mortgage needed (if you can get the land), which can withstand earthquakes and can’t be eaten by bugs or burned by fire.




“Hippie Camp”, as I affectionately called it, was quite the experience for a suburban yuppie like me. I was also the only Christian. There were about 20 students and 10 others there (teachers, cooks, interns etc.) The only other person of faith was a Muslim man. I knew from people’s stories and comments that most didn’t have high opinions of Christians, and many had been burned by the church. I felt like my job was to really suspend judgment, and just to love on people, and not start any faith conversations. I really enjoyed loving on people and hearing the stories of people who were so very different from me. And I ended up having three great faith conversations initiated by three different students.




It was a very impactful nine days in many ways, between having my faith tested and living a life of radical simplicity. No make up or shaving, few showers, the same dirty clothes every day, a local, vegan, sugar-free diet, working hard in the dirt all day and sleeping in a tent every night. I became good friends with two guys in the class, Erik and Guy. They were non-hippies like me, so we had a good time comparing notes about what we thought and observed on our afternoon off when we went to the beach and out to eat in nearby Bandon. I introduced them to my new favorite card game Quiddler early in the week, and we spent literally hours every day playing Quiddler, after lunch and on free evenings. We had a plethora of inside jokes by the end of the week! For about a week after the class I visited Cobville in my dreams every night. The first night felt very unnatural to sleep indoors. I still think about it often, and daydream about the cob house I someday hope to build.




Two days after I returned from the cob class I moved in with the Johnstons. I found a new roommate, but she needed to move in two months before Sarah moves out. So I hatched a plan to sublet my room and move in with the Johnstons for two months, and then to move into Sarah’s room when she gets married. So my living room furniture, books, and kitchen stayed there, my bedroom furniture went to Annette’s garage, my plants went to Young Life and my camping/sporting equipment went to my mom’s house, in addition to everything I moved to the Johnstons. It has been wonderful. The stress of the awkwardness at home is gone. I love living here with no roommate and no commute (not to mention no rent!) I’ve also started biking to Young Life again now that I am going to two places a day instead of three. Will I really move back after two months?

Two weeks later I went with Clayton to Nashville for five days. Clayton’s best friend’s family moved there about a year ago, and Clayton had three days off of school so we went to visit. I am also friends with the family, through both Young Life and the Johnstons. The Millers live in a sweet little suburb called Franklin, where all the country music stars have bought ranches. Downtown Franklin was adorable, with cute little shops and restaurants. At night lots of families were out and it felt completely safe. Just past the downtown is ranch after farm after colonial mansion. The Millers live in a lovely gated community with ponds, walking paths and lots of trees. There is also a neighborhood swimming pool, where we spent a lot of time since the weather was in the low 80’s all week! I had a blast with the boys, and after they went to bed Mary and I stayed up late playing Quiddler and talking! It was a big week for Clayton also, who lost his front tooth and learned to ride and bike and tie his shoes! On Sunday we went to their wonderful church, which happens to be located in Steven Curtis Chapman’s barn – no kidding!




The other big happening of the autumn (which did not involve traveling) was that I gave my notice at Young Life. I have been the Area Administrator for Bellevue Young Life for 6 ½ wonderful years, but it is now time to move on. I will stay until we find the right person, but I hope that is sooner rather than later because there are a lot of things that I would like to do with my mornings this winter, like XC ski, volunteer at Agros and volunteer at Anya’s Spanish immersion school! I told the Johnstons that I will continue with them until the end of the school year. And after that, on to adventures unknown to me, known only to God!

Summer 2010

Summer was too short, as always. Between the issues at home, Young Life’s busy camping season, and a few vacations, it was over in a blink. Here are a few highlights:

I planted a garden for the first time! Last December our Young Life office moved down to the Newport Marina and there is a big, unused garden plot out front. Although I think I experienced a net financial loss, it was a blast and I learned a lot. Here are a few lessons: 1. Everybody loves a garden. Maybe it stems back to our beginnings in Eden, but nobody could pass me by without some sort of garden-related comment or conversation, even if the person knew nothing about gardening! 2. Rabbits cannot jump very high. My lettuce was in a rowboat in the middle of the garden and was untouched. My bean sprouts below were eaten to the stems however. Fortunately for my beans, the rabbit became breakfast for a hawk one morning! 3. Weeding is therapeutic. Really, it is. 4. Every seed is a miracle. I was overjoyed at each little sprout that came up from the ground and even more so when I was actually able to harvest food from it some months later! I could draw a number of great spiritual truths out here, but the Bible already does it so well.




For the third summer in a row, I took my Sunday School girls to camp. This year I brought Anya as well, and we went to Camp Berachah in Auburn. They kept us busy from morning until night with lots of fun activities and the great theme of “Faith Hero” (a play on Guitar Hero.) It was an awesome week, but I was totally drained, both emotionally and physically by the end. Next summer my girls will go to junior high camp, and I can’t say I am sorry this was my last year as a camp counselor!



At the end of July my brother Mike married his longtime girlfriend Teresa. It was a beautiful outdoor wedding at my mom’s neighborhood’s community center. I was honored to be a bridesmaid and had a blast. You would think that nothing would be that different after them living together for 11 years, but it feels special and different to have Teresa as my official sister-in-law. I feel closer to her, and love to call her “sister.” There was a gap left by missing groomsman Hans, but we were blessed to have Erik, Bernice and Nashesha here from Tanzania, and Seth, Amber and Gavin here from Minnesota. We had a huge, wonderful family reunion in Carnation the three days following the wedding.




In August I spent a week at the Washington Family Ranch in Oregon as a nanny for the YoungLives week. This was a special week for teenager mothers and their babies to come to camp. The nannies provided care during activities and clubs so that these moms could be kids for a little while, and hear about the God who loves and accepts them, even while they are condemned by our society. It was special to spend time with the three Bellevue ladies I went with: Darnell, Lisa, and Hillary. Darnell and I even climbed Communication Hill every morning at 6:30 am! I took care of a beautiful little girl named Kaydence, and enjoyed evening walks with my new nanny friends while strolling or holding the babies. Kaydence’s mom stood up at “Say So” to tell everyone that she had accepted Jesus that week!