Exploring Olympic National Park

Before summer started, we decided we'd like to explore Olympic National Park during our holidays. When we looked into campsites, they were almost completely booked, but we found a spot at a KOA in Port Angeles and decided to take the last four days available in August.

As we prepared for our trip, we got lots of advice from others who had been there--including a tip about taking a ferry instead of driving through Seattle.

So, on Tuesday, we headed out for Coupeville, Washington. The day could not have been more beautiful. Our first stop was at Deception Pass, where we walked by the ocean and took a few pictures.

We arrived a little early at the ferry and were able to leave almost an hour before our reserved time.

It was sunny and windy, and the ride across was only about half an hour.

Our cabin in Port Angeles was small but very comfortable with a porch swing, enough beds for everyone, a bathroom/shower, a TV, and a pool.

We didn't have much time left in the day but decided to visit the nearby Olympic Game Farm, where people drive through and feed the animals. We saw lots of yaks, elk, llamas, buffalo, bears, and deer.

They got a little aggressive at times, but the kids had fun feeding them bread.

That night we watched The Muppets and made our plans for Wednesday.

Wednesday morning we set out for the Hoh Rain Forest. On the way, we made a fun stop in Forks, where the Twilight books are set. The information center was hilarious, with life-size cut-outs of the Twilight characters. 

The tour guides talked about the people and events from the books as if they were real and even got out some props for Jason to pose as Carlisle Cullen :)

Even though we don't consider ourselves "fans" (except Janae), we got kind of excited about seeing Edward Cullen's house and the "treaty line" between the vampires and werewolves, and we stopped back in Forks on the way back to Port Angeles later that evening ... just before dark.

The rain forest, though, was amazing and definitely worth the 2-hour drive out that way. It was the greenest place I have ever seen, and I have seen some pretty green places!

We did two mile-long hikes: the hall of mosses

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and the spruce nature trail.

The kids were climbing in these huge overturned roots, 

and when we looked at the back of them we saw the enormous tree they had supported, with several new trees growing up from it.

The water was so clear we could see the bottom of the river.

From the rain forest we went to Ruby Beach, a long stretch of ocean with lots of drift wood, rock formations, and tide pools to explore.

We found star fish and anemones and played in the waves for a couple of hours.

On Thursday we planned to see Hurricane Ridge. From here we had a spectacular 360-degree view of the Olympic mountain range.

We hiked several of the trails around the area and were amazed by the views.

Most of us agreed that this was the highlight of our trip, although some of us liked Ruby Beach the best.

After Hurricane Ridge we drove around Lake Crescent and stopped at Sol Duc Lake to see the fish jumping. Eric decided to swim in his clothes.

On Friday we said goodbye to our campsite and started back to the ferry.

 We stopped at the Dungeness nature reserve

then got some ice cream and looked in a couple of bookstores in Port Townsend while we waited for our sailing time.

We all agreed that we could have spent at least another week exploring Olympic National Park, and we hope to go back there someday.

Working Mom

Some people might not know that before I had my four kids, I was a college English teacher. In fact, my last contract before becoming a mom went right up until my due date with Ben. (Luckily he was born a few days late....)

When Ben was two, and I was expecting Janae, I went back to teach one last semester, ending two months before Janae was born. I loved being in the classroom again and working with students, but I missed my little Benjamin and felt like I wasn't as good of a teacher as I'd once been.

Since then, I have only worked from home, taking care of my family and doing some accounting for Jason's landscaping business.

A year and a half ago, I started working from home as a freelance writer and editor. I created dialogues and articles for English language learners, discovering how to measure readability levels and finding creative ways to incorporate required vocabulary words and phrases. Although I enjoyed this work and got great feedback, I was working too much and making too little money (often less than $5 an hour).

This year, with Eric starting kindergarten, I thought it was time to do something more profitable. I started looking for work several months ago, writing letters of application and sending off resumes, still not sure what could possibly be suitable for me with my schedule.

I couldn't work afternoons, because my kids need me to drive them to music lessons, track practices, play dates, and other after-school activities. 

After having been in the hospital last fall and being unable to drop off and pick up my kids, I realized I didn't want to leave this to someone else--especially this year with Eric just starting kindergarten. It is too important to me to be there.

I didn't want to work evenings or weekends, because then our family would never be together.

I thought about night shifts, but then remembered how badly I cope with sleep deprivation.

Early mornings? Who would get the kids up and ready for school while Ben and Jason are at seminary? 

So what I came up with was that I could work 9-2. Unfortunately, though, I discovered there isn't much of a market for this time slot.

A few weeks ago, I interviewed for a teaching job that I thought I would love at an alternative learning school, but they needed someone who could work 9-3:30, so I said no.

Then last week I interviewed for a job with a non-profit organization that teaches people about epilepsy and seizures (something I know next to nothing about). I emphasized that although I have teaching experience, I have no medical knowledge--but that I am a good researcher and not afraid of public speaking.

This week, I was offered the job: 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Monday through Thursday with an occasional presentation to do on a Saturday or during an evening. Oh, and I wouldn't have to start until Eric's first full day of kindergarten, following the school's gradual entry schedule.

I couldn't believe I had actually found something that would work so perfectly!

I will still be able to take my kids to school and pick them up (starting at 10 even gives me a bit of extra time in case Eric follows the family tradition of separation anxiety in the mornings before kindergarten). I'll have Fridays to do errands, AND I'll finally be making more than minimum wage. Quite an accomplishment for someone with a master's degree in English, I guess.

Seriously, though, I feel so blessed to have found a way to work that won't take too much time away from my family. These babies are growing up fast....

A New Favorite at the Bard

We had our fifth annual trip to Bard on the Beach yesterday, where we saw The Taming of the Shrew. Alaina and Janae both decided it was their favorite performance so far, while Ben still prefers The Comedy of Errors, which we saw our first year.

They all got souvenirs this year:

Ben picked up a Shakespearean adaptation of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, the entire book written in iambic pentameter.

Janae found an adorable book of Shakespeare Cats, where each page has a scene from one of the plays with cats playing all the parts.

And Alaina brought home a Bard on the Beach teddy bear.

Meanwhile, Eric and Jason were across town at Science World, learning about dinosaurs, playing with water, and trying to find their way through a mirror maze.

It's hard to say who had a better time....

For me, though, the tradition of going to Bard on the Beach is one that I look forward to more every year.