We have MOVED!

I know we've been lacking on the blogs lately, but it's only because we have been BUSY BUSY BUSY! In mid-April, after we returned from Vegas for Brett and Lisa's wedding, we made a very difficult decision to pack up and leave Houston for Klamath Falls, OR!! Kristin was offered a position as a hydrologist/project manager with the US Bureau of Reclamation at the Klamath Basin office. The position is a great opportunity for Kristin with great job security. Edward is still looking for a position but has several options that look to be promising. With so many federal agencies here in Klamath, there are many Federal engineering opportunities although not always open to the public.

Our last weekend in Houston was on the 22nd/23rd which we spent with great friends and family! Kristin did a Mary Kay make-over with Christina and Shannon and then Kristin and Ed both spent Saturday and Sunday night at Christy's since the bed was sold on Friday. Monday morning Shannon came to say goodbye with her two lovely girls Courtney and Jessica - we're going to miss them (and Ethan) so much! Here are some pics from our last weekend:


Our trip up here was interesting to say the least, we left Houston on Monday and only made it to San Antonio before we stopped for dinner. At dinner someone was nice enough to bust the lock out of Ed's truck trying to steal our GPS. The lock held and we think Buster scared off the thieves, so nothing was stolen thank goodness! Our view in the rearview mirror for a week...

Here was Buster's position for most of the trip...he was fine in the truck - slept almost the whole time, but was very active in the hotel rooms! He did not pee though thank goodness!

On that note, we headed out on Tuesday morning with the goal of getting out of TEXAS!!! We made it to Las Cruces, NM for the evening for a relaxing night in a small town.

From there, we left Wednesday morning to head to Phoenix, AZ to see Terri and Josh! (Terri is an old high school friend of Kristin's) We had a great time with Terri and Josh and as a great surprise, one of Ed's fraternity brothers came to meet us out at the rooftop bar in downtown Phoenix. Thursday morning we headed downtown to the Federal building in Phoenix to get Kristin's finger prints taken for her background check. A new rule was passed in mid-May requiring the background check for Reclamation employees to begin BEFORE their first day, so this was a little challenging to accomplish on the road!
Kristin and Terri:
Ed and Mike:

Thursday we headed out to Las Vegas for 2 fun nights out and a rest day from driving. Arizona was very mountainous but also very...empty so the driving was long and boring. Vegas was fun and we had some great food! The more we learn about Vegas, the more we like it - on this trip we conquered the bus system in Vegas - super efficient and cheap!

Saturday morning we headed from Vegas to Reno for 2 more nights on the road. We took Sunday as a rest day to give the truck and Buster a rest! We visited two massive casinos: the Grand Saharra Resort and the Peppermill Resort - really great places for a fun night. They had theaters, bowling allies, arcades, restaurants, pools, etc - all INSIDE!! Oh - and gambling and drinking of course...but that's standard for the casino! The Peppermill had a sushi restaurant with some very creative decor.

Ed and I in Downtown Reno:
Ed and I at the Riverwalk in downtown Reno - the Truckee River had a paddling course set up!
The Peppermill Sushi Restaurant:
We are now in Klamath Falls in our furnished townhouse for at least the next 4 months. After 4 months we will decide whether to buy a house or rent a larger house. We only took a 6X12 trailer here, but somehow it is just too much stuff for this townhouse! Our master bedroom view is wonderful and the temperatures here are very cool making it wonderful to have the windows open all night long. Running in the morning is something we can do all year long here since the mornings never get warmer than about 50 degrees! More to come as we explore this area - tons of outdoor activities, so we are excited for the weekends!

2010 Update

Hello everyone! It's been a while since our last post, but 2010 has started pretty rocky for us. We returned from Virginia in January and got back to life as we knew it. In February we went to Winter Park, CO for a little weekend getaway. The altitude made me pretty sick for a couple days, but eventually I got used to it. We did some awesome snowshoeing and loved the BnB! Here are some pics!


Next, in March, Harmony and Courtney came to visit us for their spring break - we had a blast going to the Rodeo, camping at Inks Lake SP and exploring Houston. We even got to celebrate Courtney's birthday at Benihannas!


In April, we went off to Vegas for Brett and Lisa's wedding. The wedding was awesome!!! AND we got to do so many things outside! We went rock climbing and hiking in Red Rock Park and then did a hidden hot springs hike just east of the Hoover Dam. The Hoover Dam was impressive as well and we had to note it was built by the Bureau of Reclamation!



We're even more excited now for May and June!!! Expect some big changes...

Cathy Chester: We will remember you always...

Cathy Chester

September 11, 1956 - December 26, 2009

Cathy (Washburn) Chester lived a full and joyous life and left for her next adventure on December 26, 2009.

Cathy Lynn McFadden was born in Jacksonville, FL on September 11, 1956 to Myrtle Mae and Edward Lowell McFadden. She had a full and adventurous youth including such things as working in a carnival, attending multi-day concerts and meeting people from all different walks of life. She had several close relationships in her early 20s and 30s but none so close as with her husband and soul mate of 16 years, Allen Chester. After 13 years, Cathy and Allen married as a family surprise on December 26^th, 2006 in Yorktown, VA. The marriage was part of a winter motorcycle ride to the Colonial Parkway.

She gave birth to her oldest child, Kristin White, in her late 20s and to Sonny (George Fred) Washburn and Harmony Washburn in her 30s. She was very proud of having raised and directed three accomplished and independent children, each with whom she maintained a very close relationship. She also welcomed her son-in-law, Edward Hohlt (husband to Kristin), and stepdaughter, Sarah Chester, as part of her loving and spiritual family. Cathy maintained a strong relationship with her mother Myrtle through frequent travel, regular long talks and many movie sleepovers. Her younger brother Ricky Stout has maintained a special spot in her life and, with his fiancée Lisa, has been a strong source of support, love and a beach house getaway.

Cathy was a visionary that looked for maximum opportunities in all her ideas, thoughts and pursuits. As an active entrepreneur, she began several companies to chase her goals and make the world a better place. Her most longstanding business venture was Harmony Unlimited, developed to bring communities and businesses together for a better world through marketing and publishing. Her business partner, Jeanne Coates, will miss her dearly, especially on each and every April 15^thas Cathy was the company accountant as well. In addition, she began Inspired by Design, a company to manage and sell the beautiful and cherished art work by her husband, Allen Chester.

Due to her numerous and ever-expanding passions, Cathy inspired many through her travels, hobbies, and misadventures that were often left “open for future growth.” She was spiritual and encouraged social awareness in all that she did. She had a profound impact on all who met her. She leaves behind a multitude of friends who will honor her always.

At her personal request, a celebration of Cathy’s life will be held at Hoss’ Deli in Newport News at 2 pm on December 30, 2009. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made either to the Unity Fellowship Church (peninsulaunity.org) or to the Hospital Hospitality House in Richmond, VA through their website (www.hhhrichmond.org).

On Being a Champion

A champion is a winner,
A hero…
Someone who never gives up
Even when the going gets rough.
A champion is a member of
A winning team…
Someone who overcomes challenges
Even when it requires creative solutions
A champion is an optimist,
A hopeful spirit…
Someone who plays the game,
Even when the game is called life…
Especially when the game is called life.
There can be a champion in each of us,
If we live as a winner,
If we live as a member of the team,
If we live with a hopeful spirit,
For life

~ © Matthew Joseph Thaddeus Stepanek (From the book "Journey Through Heartsongs")

“May those who seek, find. May those who find, be transformed. May those transformed, enlighten others."

-Cathy & Allen Chester

Beer for Us, Water for People

Apart from our running, engineering societies, rock climbing, hiking, etc, Ed and I enjoy supporting our "charity of choice" Water for People. Water for People is an organization that assists people in developing countries improve quality of life by supporting the development of locally sustainable drinking water resources, sanitation facilities and health and hygiene education programs.

Around the world, 884 million people do not have access to safe drinking water and 2.5 billion are without adequate sanitation facilities. Every day, nearly 6,000 people who share our planet die from water-related illnesses, and the vast majority are children.

Their vision is a world where all people have access to safe drinking water and sanitation; a world where no one suffers or dies from a water- or sanitation-related disease.

In order to support this great cause, we hold various fundraisers around the Houston area. The funds collected go toward the materials needed to build these much needed facilities, which are built by the community (supervised by Water For People volunteers).

One of our most successful events is our "Beer for Us, Water for People" event at Saint Arnold's Brewery! This is our 4th year having the event and it's been a great time and a great success every year! We are really thankful for everyone who came out - especially our great friends who seem to support us no matter what!!! Thank you so much!!!! Below are some pics of the event.

Ed and I happy that everyone is having a great time!

Our awesome NASA friends!

Great sponsors!!! Look at how many awesome companies want to support us!!! Amazing!

Erin and Archana working the check-in table while someone signs in - great job!

Erin with the raffle winner, Christi, who won the FREE TANDEM SKYDIVE raffle prize!!!!

Anniversary Weekend

Ed and I got to celebrate our 1-year anniversary a week early with great friends at our wedding site! We went camping with Christina, Paul, Brett and Lisa at North Park t Canyon Lake. We had cake and bratwurst (including veggie bratwurst) and lots of wine! It was a little cool, so we made a fire and really had a blast! On our actual anniversary, November 15, we had our 1-year old cake, which was delicious, and enjoyed an easy 8 mile run (to run OFF the cake!).

Happy to be back here!

Me and the Matron of Honor!

1-year and still in love!

Cactus Rose - Ultramarathon!

While everyone else was dressing up and putting out candy for Halloween, Ed and I were accompanying Kira Matukaitis to the Cactus Rose 100 mile Ultramarathon! We crewed and paced her and had a ton of fun! Ed and I realized that we have a lot to learn about crewing ultras, but we really did have a blast and met a ton of cool people!

Me and Kira before the race - it was FREEZING!

Look at all these crazy people!!! :)

Kira coming up on mile 20 - almost a quarter of the way through!

Lots of fun!

Sorry it's been a while since our last post, but we have still been busy! My (Kristin) cousin, Shannon, and family moved to Houston this past summer and we planned a fun filled day at the park a few weeks ago. We headed to Bear Creek Park and had a picnic and got to see the "wild life" which was not very wild.

Ethan took a picture of all the girls! Great photographer!

Ethan's photography skills

After that fun on Saturday, Ed took me golfing on Sunday. We used his Redstone gift card that I got him for his birthday LAST year! I didn't actually "golf" per say, but had a ton of fun!

Nice shot!!

Ed in the golf cart...really, the golf cart is half the fun of golfing!

Posing after the 18th hole...