I Survived....

Hey all you Blake fans,

Just wanted to let you know that I have survived the Hood to Coast run. The largest relay in the nation...197 miles from Mt Hood to Seaside, Oregon. We had 12 runners on the team including my brother Steve and our very good friend Dain (Ben's best friend). It was a blast! My 1st leg of the race was 7.18 miles and started about 10am on Friday, August 22nd. My 2nd and most favorite leg was 3.5 miles and started about 10pm later that night. And last but not least, my 3rd leg started about 6am Saturday morning, it was 4.5 miles and was all up hill. I had nothing left in me after no sleep during either break. This was a time when I envied Ben, because he has the special ability to sleep anywhere, anytime. But I finally finished and it was one of the greatest moments ever! Why I brought this challenge upon myself is beyond me. For those of you that know me, I am not a runner. But have always secretly wanted to be one and I have proved that the body is capable of many things and can be pushed to the limit. I think I will steer clear away for a while from the bananas, bagels and cliff bars. It was one of the most exhausting, yet hillarious 24 hours I have ever experienced. Here are some pics...

Let's start from the very beginning...

It's a very good place to start,

Doe a deer a female deer...

No really what we are talking about here is a beaver. Beavers and Ducks is what is all about here in Oregon. And while I am neither, my now husband...was a beaver. When I met him, Ben was attending Oregon State University. So when we came upon this stuffed beaver at the high desert museum in Bend on our honeymoon, he was quite excited!

Bend was so beautiful and so much fun. We recieved a few gifts for things on our honeymoon like snowmobiling and restaurant certificates at some of the finest in Bend. The rocky road brownie sunday at the Blacksmith is still our favorite dessert to date for both of us, we went back twice just for the sunday! We stayed at the Cabin Creek Bed & Breakfast. It was a beautiful place and very romantic. I think Ben mostly liked the free snacks, drinks and popcorn that he would stash everyday.

This is Ben above being a big helper on our snowmobiling trip. A tree fell and he was checking out the situation. Good thing our guide had a saw :) It was a great time had by all. Stay tuned for more adventures of Ben and Christie!

Thank You's

So, I am not sure why I am such a procratinator, but it seems to be my special skill. Ben and I were married March 22, 2008 and I am still working on Thank you cards...why is this so difficult to finish? As an meeting planner, I pride myself on special skills such as organization, planning ahead and being a multi-tasker. You would think I could manage a few thank you cards! What I really want to express in this post is that Ben and I are incredibly thankful to all that contributed to our wedding in the form of singing, making cakes, cooking and giving gifts of various sorts AND that you still can look forward to recieving and thank you card!

To go along with our shout out thank you...here are a few picks to share from our wedding day...

The Do-Over

So in effort to keep up with the Jones'...we have decided to start over with the blogging. New account, new password, new site name, new link, to go with our new life....really because I have lost the other one that was connected to Ben's old email address, no clue what the password is and therefore cannot get it because his email is no longer active...
Sharon has been eager to read about our newlywed life (even though we live only 45 minutes from her :) I really just think she likes to share our lives with the rest of her/our family and friends. So here we go because we like sharing too. And lets see if we can keep up and make it interesting this time... Although in comparison to my sister in-laws and friends, I am not sure if we compare. But stay tuned, Ben thinks we can one up them with a picture of a slug eating a snail!

Now presenting the "Buzz on the Beaverton Blakes"! Here is our version of a do-over...