Michael and Marit

Some 14 years ago, Cheryl had a foreign exchange student from Germany stay with her and her family. His name is Michael. He became friends with Cheryl's oldest son Greg, who is similar in age. Greg and Michael have stayed in contact all these years.

Michael married Marit in 2001 after their "meant to be" meeting at a church camp where they were both working. The both of them visited the states in 2002 going to Disneyland with Cheryl and some of her family.

Then in 2008 they decided to buy a ticket that would allow them one year to fly to various parts of the globe.

They started in Japan where Marit was born to her missionary parents. Then they traveled to New Zealand where they fell in love with the beach. (they lived in Gisborne, New Zealand map. Read more about Gisborne here.) They were there for 8 months before heading to the United States.

They arrived in California where they visited a bit, including San Francisco, before heading to Boise to stay with Greg & Megan.

Cheryl and I were in Boise for New Years and they hitched a ride back to Seattle (well actually to Kent!) with us. They've managed to navigate the bus system and endure our city tours. Cheryl has enjoyed fixing them breakfasts and we have both enjoyed hearing their stories and seeing their pictures (even if they were on a Mac).

They traveled to Vancouver, Canada via Amtrak Monday and Tuesday, returning late last night. They leave for Boise mid-day today and then for Germany on February 5th.

It's been our privilege to host them and I hope we remain in touch vicariously enjoying their adventures!




(A few more pictures of their visit can be seen here.)

Update from the Haleys

The last few weeks have been filled with a lot of fun and adventure!
The week before Christmas it started to snow and forgot to stop!

We had 15" eventually at our place in Kent!

You can check out a few more pictures at The Homefront.

Christmas was a quiet one for us... We got up late, Cheryl cooked a yummy breakfast and then we went to see TWO movies. We saw Marley and Me that was supposed to be a comedy...but it really is a tear jerker! So while we weren't expecting how the movie played out, it was well done. Then we went to see Four Christmases - OK, but wouldn't see it again. I do not like going to movies - would rather enjoy a DVD in the comfort of my home where I can pause when I need to... So these two years satisfied my year's quota! haha

Then on Saturday the 27th, we visited my sister Diana in Everett. Her son Ben was home from California and she hosted a game night.

Who was there? My sister Debbie and her husband Wes, Diana and Bob of course, my niece Jeanette, Ben too of course, my nephew Colin and his wife Isha and Cheryl and I. Diana served up a delicious lasagna, followed by a banana-split fest! We played Pictionary for awhile (what a hoot!) and then on to Oh Hell! What would a Haley gathering be without a rousing game of Oh Hell? More pictures can be seen here.

Then on Sunday the 28th, we headed up to Marissa's (my daughter) home in Oso where they had over three feet of snow! We normally celebrate Christmas with her on Christmas Eve but the weather made that impossible this year. Thankfully their road and driveway had been cleared before we went up! We had dinner, opened presents and played Guitar Hero. It was a wonderful time! Check out the pictures here.

After a couple of busy days at work on the 29th and 30th, we left for Boise at 5:00 AM on New Year's Eve. This is where most of Cheryl's family lives.

I had a goal of finding my 300th cache in 2008. I needed 4 more. So I decided to find them on the way to Boise. We found three in Cle Elum, WA - all buried under snow of course! haha We couldn't find the 4th one. I needed just ONE more. I had however, obtained information for caches farther east on I-90, forgetting that we headed south at I-82. So on the way in to Boise, I called Cheryl's brother and he gave me information about a cache in Nampa - found it - #300! woohoo A few more pics can be seen here.

New Year's Eve was spent quietly at her daughter Monica's home. Then on New Year's Day, we went over to Greg and Megan's place (Greg is Cheryl's oldest son) for a family visit and chili-feed. And as happens too often I think, Grandpa was scolded for making too much noise with the grandkids. Geesh!!

Friday found Cheryl completing appointments she had made before we went to Boise, Monica was at work and I, Grandpa Doug, left in charge of the kids! Monica's warning as she left for work was, "Doug, if anything gets broken today..." LOL After the kids did homework and we played a little Rock Band, we went geo-caching (found 6 out of 8 we looked for) and then grocery shopping for dinner. Mya managed the cart and Reghan checked off the list. We couldn't find the canned olives. Reghan (9) sees an employee coming down the aisle, who would probably have walked right by this "little kid" had she not stepped right in front of her, looked up and demanded to know where the canned olives were! haha We made individual mini pizzas for dinner - yummy! After dinner, we celebrated Christmas, including Megan's 9-box $1 gift! haha

On Saturday, Greg, Caleb (Cheryl's younger son), Mya, Reghan, Tanner (Monica's three children) and I headed for Bogus Basin for a few hours on the slopes. Reghan and I were the only skiers. The others boarded. It was fun for me to see the kids board and ski - they are doing great up there! Although I must say there were times when I had a difficult time keeping up with Reghan! haha (Thanks for driving Caleb!) I hadn't been up skiing in 3 to 4 years. It was a great time and I can't wait to head up to Crystal Mountain.

Sunday found us relaxing but with an appointment at Greg and Megan's at 4:00 PM for family pictures. We took the pictures (thanks for your help Michael), had KFC for dinner and then watched Mama Mia!

Cheryl and I were leaving for home on Monday morning. We'd rented a SUV for two reasons - one was to accommodate the load we took over and the other was to have the 4WD. We didn't really need the 4WD on the way over. A fact that I complained about. Monday morning found 3 inches of snow on the ground and more falling. Eghads! We loaded up, said goodbye to Monica and her family and headed for Greg and Megan's to say our good-byes and pick up Michael and Marit.

Who are Michael and Marit? Michael is from Germany and stayed with Cheryl as a foreign exchange student 14 years ago! He is now married to Marit - for 7 years. They have been traveling the world and have been in Boise for a few weeks. They decided to come see Seattle too so a ride back with us made sense!

We reached Ontario, OR at about 9:30 AM. There had been snow and ice on the road the whole way. There we learned that the Blues were closed in at least two places - West of Baker and East of Pendelton - with no projections of when they would open. So after conferring with the State Patrol, we decided to head across Oregon on Hwy 20. It was a beautiful drive - a solitary one too! Everything was white! Oh, yes, good thing we had 4WD! haha Our original plan was to drive to Bend then up to Portland and home. Around Burns though we learned that the roads up to I-90 were OK, so we headed north on Hwy 395. Up and down passes ranging in altitude from 3900 feet to almost 5200 feet. What an experience. When we arrived in Pendelton, we learned that Snoqualmie Pass was now closed! So we headed West along the gorge to Portland and then up I-5 to home. (Of course less than 48 hours later that section of I-5 was closed too - whew!) Trip time home? Sixteen hours! But we made it safely and were warm and well fed, so can't really complain!

More pictures of our trip to Boise and the drive home can be seen here.

Snowing at the Haleys

I know we may not be as cold as some places and that we have less snow than some. However, we are experiencing a major event here. Low temperature records that have stood for 44 years are being broken and we have the largest snowstorm in over 10 years!

The entire covered portion of the deck is coated in snow from 1" to 2+". This snow was blown in from yesterdays winds. And how weird to have drifting snow in Seattle - can't remember the last time I saw that happen! It's 26 degrees now (10:00 PM - Sunday) and it has been snowing since about 5:00.

We have 7" on our front deck...



Out near the front fence where the snow drifted a bit, we have 12"...



And the Toyota is disappearing beneath the snow...



A few more pictures can be see on smugmug.

IF we go anywhere tomorrow it will be with chains...

Babies and Fathers...

Merry Christmas from the Haleys - 2008

So what’s been happening with the Haley’s over the last 12 months called 2008? LOTS!! (The blue, underlined words are links to either pictures on smugmug or other sites.)

Our grandkids turned two, three, five(2), nine(2), ten(3) and thirteen(2). Yup, eleven WONDERFUL grandkids!! Oh, oh…did you notice 2 of them are turning 13 in 2009!? Eeeghads!! Haha

During 2008 Cheryl became the Business Operations Manager at Skyline Properties and Doug is transitioning out of a fund-raising role at Agros International to a data-base/information systems management role.

The economic downturn has of course affected our industries as well as making us re-think how we are living… We have decided to list our house, even though we may take a loss given the current market, and buy a motor home. We’ll be able to live in it much cheaper than our house, be closer to work and have more free time. Stay tuned to this channel for more regarding this adventure!

Chronologically…

Can’t forget Christmas last year… Marissa (Doug’s daughter) joined us for Christmas eve – dinner and presents. We alternate years. Always fun to see Christmas through a child’s eye!

January saw us kicking of the New Year in Boise. We had a family get together with Cheryl’s family at a Choice Hotel where we ate, swam, ate, played cards/games and ate some more. We also had “Christmas” with Cheryl’s children and their families along with Cheryl’s mom and dad. Doug went snowmobiling for the first time, crashing only twice! Haha We visited a House of Scones in Boise, one of Cheryl’s favorite memories from the past.
Doug also got to introduce a family friend to geo-caching! A fun weekend! Take a look at some pictures - Album 1 and Album 2.

And then in February Cheryl and I headed for Europe! It was Cheryl’s first time traveling internationally and was a chance for Doug to visit some of the places he lived/visited 20 years ago. Yes, a lot has changed! We flew to London first, where we took in a tour on the River Thames, visited Windsor Castle, Harrods and even rented a car and went out to Bath and Stonehenge one day. On the first night there, I surprised Cheryl with a reserved ride on The Eye – with a rose, chocolates and champagne! The pubs were great…or maybe we are just weird because we like pub food. Then we took the “new” chunnel train from London to Paris – very fast! And of course leaving the train station for our hotel “only a couple of blocks away” we sort of missed a turn. Doug's French? Oh, about 2 words! Haha We eventually found our way to a lovely little hotel – Villa St Martin - that we called home for the next few days. We had our picture taken with a Parisian policman on rollerblades along the River Seine. One of the days there we took the train to Versailles and spent some time roaming around the castle, town and shops…where Doug managed to spend $8 on a mango. But it was GOOD! Haha

March found us winging our way to Las Vegas. Well actually to Henderson, where we met up with a couple – Cliff and Susie - that Cheryl has known for some years. We ate, visited, ate, shopped, ate, did some geocaching and ate some more! Haha OK, yes, we even hit a few slot machines!

March also brought the St. Patrick’s Day Dash in Seattle. Doug’s brother Dan beat him, but their nephew Ben, who was visiting from California, ran circles around both of them! Haha Check out a few pics from the weekend.

April brought a visit from Caleb, Cheryl’s son, who lives in Boise. We went go-cart racing and out for lunch at the Crab Pot in Seattle to celebrate his 20th birthday. We also took a weekend trip to Spokane to visit family – some who were from Seattle! Haha We went to a favorite nightclub of Dan’s, took in a niece’s soccer game, did some wine tasting, had a BBQ at Doug’s brother Dan’s home and generally goofed off! Oh, and we took a crew of NINE geo-caching one day!

May saw us heading for Bainbridge Island and a wine tasting for 10 with the wine maker at Eleven Winery. Doug’s sister and her husband & two of their friends, one of Doug’s nieces and two of her friends and our neighbor had a great time! Yes, we even did some geo-caching on the way!

June was busy! We started with a card party at our house…oh! I mean a surprise 70th birthday party for Doug’s dad! Somehow we fit 53 people in this place – along with some canopies and HUGE patio heaters!

Then off we flew to
San Antonio to spend a few days with Doug’s daughter Talya and her family who were vacationing there and Corpus Christi. We started the trip downtown San Antonio, near the Alamo, where we did a “dinner cruise” on the San Antonio River. We then spent a couple of days at Sea World – a LOT of fun! We managed to find a winery in New Braunfels and did some geocaching too!

From there we went to San Diego to spend a few days with Doug’s other daughter Marissa who was vacationing there with her family. We did some boogie boarding, spent time at the beach, did some geo-caching, visited wineries in Temecula and even spent the better part of a day in Tijuana, Mexico!

In July we traveled to Boise for the 4th of July. We returned with three grandkids (Cheryl’s daughter Monica’s children) and a baby-sitting niece who all stayed with us for 2 weeks. We toured Seattle, spent a weekend at Long Beach and took a ferry ride to Bainbridge Island…for pizza! Haha The Long Beach trip included a horseback ride on the beach – awesome! And we managed to squeeze in a Mariner’s game too – that they WON! Whoa! Check out some pics here.

August started with a “fishing trip” to Neah Bay… Doug went with his sister, brother-in-law, two nephews and a niece’s brother on a charter in to Canadian waters where we were ready to bring home ice chests full of halibut and lingcod. Well, my share of the “catch” wouldn’t have filled a shoebox!! Oh well, we had fun visiting and exploring…and geo-caching!

Later in the month Cheryl’s son Greg and his family visited. We took in the Woodland Park Zoo, the Troll, Pike Place Market and the Rainforest Café! We had a great time and even managed a few games of Guitar Hero!

In September we headed for Troutdale, Oregon. There we attended a Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage seminar presented by Doug’s cousin Rebecca and her husband Randy. It was a great seminar…and yes we DID laugh! We headed home Sunday morning in time to attend a Seattle Mariners – New York Yankees game. And yes they won! In fact, the Mariners won all four games we went to this year. What are the odds? We should have been paid to be at the games!!

October found us in Ocean Shores where Doug was volunteering as a Washington Wine Ambassador. We had an ocean-view room for two nights, played on the beach, visited some local shops and did some geocaching. We also rented an electric boat and spent a couple of hours cruising canals at Ocean Shores – something we will definitely do again!

Later in the month we traveled to Yakima for a weekend where we watched Cheryl’s niece Mikaela from Boise participate in a large marching band competition. It was a lot of fun!

November slowed us down a bit…

Cheryl had major back surgery on the 3rd…with 8 weeks of recovery ahead of her. During the first week after the surgery, her daughter-in-law Megan visited helping Doug take care of Cheryl as he was running Agros’ annual fundraiser. During that same time Cheryl’s daughter Monica came over too with her children for a vacation. We visited a bit here and were all able to eat at a nearby Chinese buffet while Cheryl rested at home. She went back to work full time the week after Thanksgiving and is getting stronger by the day!

Even so, we still celebrated our 3rd anniversary on the 14th with a quiet meatloaf and garlic mashed potato dinner at home.


Doug also spent a lot of time working on deck repairs – we painted the deck surface earlier in the year and now are replacing the lattice work and painting all of the railing white. Here's an attempt at a before and after picture...

We have a lot already planned for 2009…and I would tell you about it…
but that would spoil next year’s letter now wouldn’t it?

So that’s it from the Doug and Cheryl Haley household for now.

May the Lord bless your Christmas celebrations and be your guiding star in the coming New Year!