3 Sildin' Girls

We just got back from Vancouver, BC, a favorite destination of ours. Typically, we indulge in good chocolate, swim in the pool, eat amazing Asian food, and go to Stanley Park. This trip was no different, except we were able to see the progress on the Vancouver Temple that is under construction. We had a great time.

The girls go bonkers for staying in a hotel. I guess it's not so much about the hotel as it is watching TV, jumping on the bed, and going swimming as much as possible. I remember those days with my dad too. It's a thrill to be 5 years old and staying in a hotel. Good, good times.

I snapped a few good pictures. Here's a super action shot of the gals...
I dig Carmen's new hair-do.

Denny's Daddy Daughter Date

Carmen had a night out with some friends last night, so I had Aja, Anna & Liv all to myself. I asked them what they wanted to do. They said they wanted to go to "The Pancake Place" (aka Denny's).

So I fearlessly went with the kids in tow. It's funny, when Carmen goes out with the girls she gets lots of comments from strangers. The general theme is a somewhat distainful "you've got your hands full!" Uh, yeah.

Yet when I go out, I get lots of positive comments like "SUPERDAD!" or (talking to the girls) "Your dad looks like he is lot's of fun!" The bias is apparent, but I'll take it.

Anyway at Denny's on Tuesday and Saturday nights kids eat free. So, each girl got their own grand slam breakfast and the bill & tip came to $10 (now you know why we're debt free). The best part of the meal for Aja & Anna was the 5 or 6 sugar packets that they poured into their open mouths. For now, dad is a pretty cool guy.

We're Debt Free!

Except for our mortgage, for now.

Yes, Carmen--the Jensen family CFO--has helped us achieve this goal. Over the past 4 years we have eliminated our $140,000+ in student loan debt (my grad school, some of Carmen's undergrad & grad). We made our last payment on Friday.

We own our cars and have no credit card, no home equity, or any other consumer debt. It feels great.

Yeah, I know people say "why pay of student loans?...it's cheap debt & you can go into forbearance in the case of emergency." For us, we decided wanted to be fully debt free. We wanted the flexibility, we wanted the peace of mind.

So, after contributing to:
1. my 401(k) (enough to get the employer match)
2. fully funding both of our Roth IRAs (in the years we qualify), and
3. funding the girl's 529 college savings plans...
...we payed as much as we could into our student loans.

We're on a pretty strict budget. We rarely spend for frivolous wants, only needs. We have found that the best things in life are free. Sounds cliche, but I believe it's true. Walks, hikes, free days at the museum, swimming in the lake, playing low-tech games with the kids.

I'm having fun entertaining crazy ideas like giving up the rat race and moving the family to Ecuador and working as a river guide. Although Carmen would actually support it, it's not very likely. At least we can dream now.

Nature's Bounty

We've been having fun with our deck garden that we built this summer. Not only has it produced some good veggies, but it also adds lush quality to the area right outside our bedroom. looks great. Our biggest hit crops have been carrots, spinach, sage, butter leaf lettuce, romaine lettuce, and green beans. Right now the tomatoes are looking promising. We've had a few flops...broccoli, cauliflower, and cilantro. One other cool thing about it has been that Aja and Anna have really enjoyed helping out.




Here are some other photos from the summer. I realize many of you haven't seen Livee lately. Here she is. She's so super cute. She's now making animal noises and saying "mom", "dad", "Aja" and "diaper". She's a happy kid that is all over the place.

Here's a picture that I like of me and my two siblings that live in Utah right now--Rich and Heidi. They are some of my favorite people in the whole world.

TV Binge

We've been TV free for 3+ years. We got tired of our kids begging us to watch Elmo. We've found that we spend more time outdoors, interacting with friends/neighbors, reading, working on the house/yard, and actually talking to each other. We have Nexflix, so we watch a movie or TV show on DVD every now and again. It's been a great arrangement for us.

I realize most people can simultaneously have TV and a life...but I can't. It's this crazy personality trait I have to get my money's worth despite what's best for me. All-you-can-eat buffets are bad for me. I eat myself sick. Having cable TV is the same. I feel like I have to watch it to get my money's worth. Lame, I know.

Anyway, after missing major events of the last 3 years (e.g Hurricane Katrina)--we decided to get Cable for the Beijing Olympics. We plan to cancel it when they are over.

So, we got hooked up this week. It's ridiculous. Carmen and I are so distracted. We can't have a decent conversation when it's on. I watched this 3 hour countdown of the 100 greatest teen stars on VH1. I was happy to see that John Francis Daley from my favorite show Freaks and Geeks was one of the commentators. Right now we're watching a Trading Spaces marathon. We're pathetic. Bring on the Olympics!

Backpacking Date with Carmen

Carmen and I just returned from the best overnight date. We went backpacking in North Cascades National Park. We camped at the Sahale Glacier Camp--it's the highest camp spot in the park at 7,600 ft. I think it's one of the best camping spots in the world!

The hike is 5.7 miles and about 3,800 vertical feet up. It was absolutely gorgeous--the views, the wildlife (marmots, mountain goats, ptarmigans) the wildflowers (we counted over 51 different varieties!).

It was also great to be alone with Carmen for 36 straight hours. We had a nice time catching up, planning, talking about our girls & laughing about memories from the past. I've been on this hike a few times in the past without Carmen. It was especially nice to have her with me this time--so she could experience what I've been raving about. She really loved it and did a great job. It reminded us of our summer in Ecuador & Peru 7 years ago.

The South View from Camp

East View from Camp--The North Cascades

North View from Camp - Mt Sahale & the glacier

Glad to be a Homeboy

We spent half of the last month on vacation. It's good to be home again!

First, we spent 8 fabulous days in Colorado with all 33 members of my immediate family. I'm the baby of 7. It was great to be with all my family again. I have to say that at 35, I'm finally outgrowing the "baby" image.

We had some great family time sharing memories. My brother Jon reminded me of the summer when I was 6 years old, when I took peeing in the pool to the next level. I started peeing my pants before I got to the pool, because I figured I'd be swimming later that day. Sounds logical for a 6 year old right?

The Jensen reunion was filled with good food & luxurious surroundings (I gotta get me one of those steam showers!). Also, I rediscovered how much I like mountain biking (I gotta get me one of those too!).

We arrived home at 11:30 on a Sunday night to a 88 degree house and I had to go to work in the morning. After 4 days of work, we were off to the Rocky Mountains again to another family reunion. Yet, this time it was the Harts (Carmen's family) and we were in Montana. A tiny mountain town at the Norteastern entrance of Yellowstone--Cooke City.

Cooke City was a riot. It's probably what Jackson Hole was like 75 years ago. A 1 room schoolhouse, 1 general store, 1 gas station, 3 restaurants, and 4 bars. The mosquitoes outnumbered humans a million to 1. I got to swim in 33F water (probably only slightly warmer) . I love that stuff. I'm always looking for a thrill that makes me feel like a 13 year old kid. We went to Yellowstone. The girls loved the animals. At one point when a buffalo was really close to our car Anna said,"Dad-roll down my window so I can say 'hi' to this buck-a-low." Classic line. We've quoted it many times since.

Toward the end, we were seriously jonesing for home. That fact, coupled with Aja & my advancing sickness, made us decide to drive the entire 13.5 hours home last Friday. We normally stop in Spokane at our friends the Rawlins. In case you're wondering, I don't recommend driving 13+ hours with 3 kids crammed in the back of a Nissan Altima. Needless to say, I was quite ill when we arrived home. In fact, actually blew chunks for the first time since 1990. My 18 year streak was broken!

So now, we're all psyched to be back home in the beautiful Northwest. Summer is perfect here and the water in Lake Sammamish is divine. I've gone for a swim almost everyday this week. Oh and just when I was thinking life couldn't get any better--we discovered that McDonalds has their soft-serve on sale for 50 cents this summer. Even 15 month old Livie got her own cone. Life is good.

Here are some of my favorite shots from the last month.

Learning about Yellowstone

Hartlings in the Beartooths

Sweetheart Aja turns 5!

Hart-Olympics Winners. Sugar high!

Yellowstone Gate: "For the Benefit and Enjoyment of the People"