December 2007
 
At the end of October we made one last trip to Silver Falls State Park before the rainy weather set in, to enjoy the beautiful waterfalls and Autumn foliage. For a taste of what it was like, take a look at last year's Silver Falls Photo Album.

Throughout October and November Olivia took a weekly beginning class to learn basic soccer skills ... she really enjoyed it. With Oregon's cold and rainy Autumn weather, it was a good thing it was indoors! When not in her class, Olivia also enjoys playing mamma with the doll her grandmother gave her.

Even though Catherine is a native of Switzerland, she took the plunge for the second year in a row and made a traditional Thanksgiving meal, just for the five of us. One thing is for sure: it takes a lot more time to make it than it does to eat it!
 

November 2007
 
Now let's see ... what was happening in October ... well ... Catherine and the kids joined other homeschool families for an outing to The Philip Foster Farm National Historic Site at the end of the Oregon Trail. As you can see from the photo, the Byrd children pioneers and their friends are giddy with joy to reach the Oregon Territory! They had fun experiencing many pioneer activities, like sawing wood, churning butter, grinding corn and more! If only they thought modern chores were as exciting!
Later in the month, Catherine and the kids were invited to the farm of a homeschool family for a harvest horse-drawn wagon ride in the fields. After a bit more than a year, it's amazing all the contacts and connections Catherine has made through church, homeschooling, Joanne's orchestra, and other activities.

For the second year in a row, Joanne attended a weekend English-style horseback-riding camp with her friend Kaila at Canyonview Camp, a Christian horse camp near Silver Falls. Joanne also continues to take lessons locally about once a month, staying for a few hours after the lesson to help take care of the horses.

We've been enjoying the cooler and wetter autumn weather of Oregon ... it's definitely much more agreeable than warm and dry California! Until next month ...
 

October 2007
 
In September we started slowing down a bit, after a summer full of activities. Nevertheless, we still had a few outings. At the beginning of the month we did a four-hour hike at nearby Mary's Peak, the highest mountain in the Oregon Coastal Range. A bus-load of Japanese tourist fell in love with Olivia at first sight, and they all just had to have a picture taken of each one standing next to Olivia!

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September 2007
 
August was a month jam-packed with activities! I think people here do a lot while the weather is nice, before the rainy season hits.

One of the bigger outings was a trip to Tillamook to visit the air museum (housed in the largest wooden structure in the world, see photo at left), a pioneer history museum, and of course the world-famous cheese factory.

Another weekend we went to a Scandanavian fesitval, where Olivia even went on stage and learned some Swedish words and dances! The longest line at a food stand was for the Lutheran aebleskivers. But we decided, why wait in line? So for Labor Day weekend we had some delicious ones at home.

Yet another weekend Catherine went to a homeschool conference, while the rest of us went to the Portland zoo and the children's museum.

In between all that were numerous trips to the park and pool, Joanne having a horseback riding lesson, Olivia taking a swimming class, the annual hot-air balloon festival in Albany, vacation Bible school in the park, and more. Whew!

And last but not least, Jeremy even got into his "fairy godmother" mood one day ... "Bippity, Boppity Boo!" ... it's been quite a summer!
 

August 2007
 
July found the Swiss Byrd family heading south for a 10 day journey to visit Brian's parents in California. On the way down, we spent the night in Sacramento and saw a few sights, including Sutter's Fort (our Swiss hero!) and the State Capitol (no Arnie!). The highlight for Olivia wasn't the historical sites, but the hotel swimming pool!

The State Capitol was very impressive, and I got some good photos. Check them out in the California State Capitol photo album.

After Sacramento we also stopped at a Mission that we had never been to before, San Juan Bautista (St. John the Baptist). All in all it was a very cultural trip to Santa Maria.

Once on the Central Coast, Catherine and I got to spend the night at San Simeon. It was the first time we had spent a night together in a hotel without the kids since we went to Israel in 1993! It was long overdue! The elephant seals were fascinating!

Then we had a big family get-together for the 4th of July. The day after that we went to the water slides at Lopez Lake. Then the next day we got a lesson in making apfelstrudel. Then Joanne and Jeremy went off to church camp, and then it was time to come back to Oregon. Whew! Busy week!

The trip home wasn't quite as fun. Olivia got carsick twice, and right before Sacramento I got the first flat tire (while driving) of my life. We had to totally empty out the very full trunk in order to get the spare tire out. Everyone was amazed how fast I changed it!

We spent the night in Mount Shasta village, right at the foot of my beloved Mt. Shasta. We had originally planned on taking a detour home and seeing some more sights, but without a spare tire, and after 9 days of travelling, we decided to just make a beeline for home the next day.

You can see the rest of the photos from our trip in our California 2007 photo album.
 

July 2007
 
For our June outing we popped over to Multnomah Falls, about 25 miles east of Portland, and almost 2 hours away from our house. We went on a 4-hour walk up the steep mountainside, over rough trails, and then all the way back down again. We saw many beautiful waterfalls in addition to Multnomah Falls.

It was amazing how well little Olivia made it on this long hike. After walking for over six miles, we were ready for lunch! We drove back to Portland and ate at Rheinlander German Restaurant...great food from the Old Country!

The scenery at the falls was very beautiful...check out our Multnomah Falls Photo Album and see for yourself.

We rounded out our day in Portland with some shopping at Trader Joe's and Exodus Provisions, a large Christian homeschool supply store. What a full day!
 

June 2007
 
The month of May found the Byrd family heading for the Oregon back country, to celebrate Mother's Day by spending two nights in a treehouse 35 feet off the ground! Seeing that Catherine is afraid of heights, it's debatable whether this Mother's Day outing was more for Mom or for the kids, but in the end Catherine said that it was the most memorable Mother's Day she had ever experienced! No doubt that 58 stair steps and two swinging bridges just to get to your room is very memorable!

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Stay tuned! We have further trips planned in the coming months, which we will report right here. See you then!
 

May 2007

April was time again for Catherine and the kids to make their biennial pilgrimage to Switzerland. Everyone had a good time reconnecting with the "old country," family and friends, Swiss chocolate and cheese.

The cousins reunited

Joanne writes: "Playing with my cousins, visiting the Alps, and galloping on horseback in the fields were three of my favorite things I did in Switzerland. For two of the four weeks we were there our cousins had spring break so we spent a lot of time with them. But even when spring break was over I had fun going to school with my cousin Julie.

"One day our family took a little train up a mountain called Beatenberg. We had a great view of three peaks in the Alps: Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau. That day I picked some wild flowers to dry and add to my collection. Before going back to my grandma's house we went on an hour boat ride. That was a fun outing!

"I got to gallop in the fields when my mom's friend took me to a horse camp at a nearby stable! I had sooooooo much fun that week! Galloping and seeing the trees whiz past me! I was sad to leave my cousins and family. We had spent a wonderful month together."

Jeremy recollects: "Behind my grandmother's house is a workshop. When all my cousins go to school (which is right across the street) I'm all alone, so most of the time I go make things out of wood in the little workshop. This time I made three little knights about five or six inches tall; it took me about two hours to make one. The first knight has a little sword and shield, the second, which is somewhat hunched because he is supposed to be a goblin, has a spear and a shield, and the third has a big long bow almost as tall as he is.

"My older cousin (once he got out of school) and I also made a little knife out of two (empty) rifle cartridges. We pounded on one with a hammer until it was flat, then I took a file and sharpened the edges and the tip. Then we were going to solder it to the other cartridge but we didn't get the chance, so I brought it back to finish here."

Olivia recounts: "I had so much fun in Switzerland! When we first got there there was still some snow in my grandmother's big backyard. I went sledding and I got totally soaked.

"I went to the swimming pool with my cousins and jumped from the diving board in the deep end. My uncle, Yves, was waiting for me in the water to make sure I was OK. I even slept at my cousins house for two nights. My aunt Babeth makes the best pizza!

"One day we went to a little pond in the mountains, and we tried to catch frogs. There were hundreds of them. We took some frogs eggs in a jar, and I watched how they became tadpoles."

 
MEANWHILE...while the Mice were at play in Switzerland, the Cat took off and had some fun too! I, Brian, packed up my PT Cruiser and cruised off for a seven-day roadtrip to explore the Pacific northwest via Highway 97. Hightailing it north for two full days, I finally arrived at the beginning of my Highway 97 excursion, Prince George, British Columbia.

Then I spent the next five days travelling 1170 miles south to the end (or beginning) of Highway 97 in Weed, California. Along the way I stayed in Kelowna, B.C., Yakima, Washington, Bend, Oregon and Klamath Falls, Oregon. I also took the opportunity to explore a few places off the beaten-Highway-97-path, like Crater Lake in Oregon and the Lava Beds National Monument in California. In all, PT and I cruised 2,828 miles!

Of course I took lots of pictures...772 to be exact! I've weeded out the mediocre ones to collect the 97 best for my Highway 97 Web Photo Journal...presented here for your enjoyment. I won't say much else about the trip, but just let the pictures themselves communicate what can be found along Highway 97.

There were only two negative experiences on my trip. My tire picked up an undesirable object -- a three and one quarter inch nail -- but an early-opening tire shop took care of that lickety-split.

Unfortunately, my second negative experience wasn't over so quickly. At the border coming back into the United States, the border guards decided that I must fit the profile of a terrorist, so I had to pull into a warehouse, get out of the car, go inside the office, empty all my pockets (slowly...no sudden moves!), lift up my pant legs to show that I didn't have any knives in my socks (!), and then wait a long time while they inspected my car and pawed thoroughly through ALL my luggage. C'mon guys! I'm a citizen of this country! I was born at an army base! One thing I clearly realized is that with all of the fear gripping this country, the terrorists have already won. Imagine if I had looked Middle-Eastern ... I might have been in Guantanamo Bay by now! Welcome back to the USA, land of the "free"!
 

March 2007
 
Well, not much to report since the last entry ... the hampster-wheel of life never stops spinning crazily. Pretty much the same-o' same-o' each day ... go to work, Catherine homeschools the kids, eat, run the household, sleep, and start again the next day. Not much to say in all that, is there? As I spin around on my hampster wheel, I keep thinking of this verse from the Living Bible:

"Since you became alive again, so to speak, when Messiah arose from the dead, now set your sights on the rich treasures and joys of heaven where Jesus sits beside God in the place of honor and power. Let heaven fill your thoughts; don't spend your time worrying about things down here. You should have as little desire for this world as a dead person does. Your real life is in heaven with Messiah and God. And when Messiah who is our real life comes back again, you will shine with Him and share in all His glories."

BUT ... things will be a lot more interesting in April, so stay tuned for the May entry. Until then, keep that wheel spinning! And keep your eyes fixed on the real life above ... this life is but a shadow.
 

January 2007
 
December was a busy month! It probably was for you too. Besides all of the normal activities during the Christmas season, we also took our first trip to Santa Maria since moving to Albany last July. As you can see from the photo to the right, we stopped at Mt. Shasta in northern California for a little rest break during our 835-mile journey south. A very impressive snow-capped volcano! My parents, who were married 50 years ago on Christmas day, gathered the relatives together to celebrate with them on their special day.

It was strange to be back in Santa Maria, where we had lived for eight and a half years. It's amazing how at-home we now feel in Albany after such a short time. Joanne and Jeremy, in trying to connect with the friends they had left behind, quickly discovered that things don't stay the same, nor is it possible to go back to how things were. But by the end of the week they did have some nice times hanging out with their friends. Life goes on, and we need to put down our roots in Albany and discover the things that God has for us here.

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There's an exciting and significant event that took place recently that we have not had the opportunity to mention. At the end of November Joanne decided to be baptised at the local Vineyard Church here in Albany. Click on the video to the left to watch a brief video clip.

Things at the Elijah List have been going well. As you can read in our blog entries from last year, I never thought that I would find a job that I liked so much or where I fit so well. But God did the impossible, and brought us to just the right place. Now that I've gotten the routine down of making two TV shows a months for Prophetic.TV, I'm finding that it's taking me only half a month. So now I will be able to spend the rest of the month doing more of the computer and database work for which I was originally hired.

Since I'm working for a prophetic ministry, I suppose it's natural that prophecy is having an impact on our lives, both at work and at home. Last month, Kim Clement gave a prophecy that God is going to give the Elijah List it's own satellite for TV broadcast! You can both read and listen to the prophecy by clicking here. Sounds like I'm going to have plenty of work around here for a long time to come!

Also, throughout last year, and with more frequency lately, there have been a number of prophecies relating to predicted earthquakes and volcanos on the West coast. You can read a compilation of these prophetic words here. It's easy to be skeptical and say that big earthquakes have been predicted on the West coast for a long time. I remember when I was a child, people were saying that California was going to fall in to the sea! But on the other hand, prophetic voices predicted the 9/11 attacks, and more recently, hurricane Katrina, yet very little notice was taken of these warning.

As you can see from the Google Earth map to the right (click to enlarge), Oregon is the state that has the most volcanos in the continental United States (which excludes Alaska and Hawaii). Recently I watched a facinating video called "Cascadia: The Hidden Fire", which gives an in-depth look at the geological dangers facing the Pacific Northwest. (Click on the DVD cover to the left for more information.) Very sobering!

In light of these geological and prophetic realities, we have been spending a fair amount of time, energy and money making as many preparations as possible. I keep thinking about a verse in the Bible found in 2 Chronicles 20:20 "Believe in the LORD your God, and you will be established; believe in His prophets and you will prosper." That's an interesting verse number... I wonder if that's what's called 20-20 vision!

But even if no major earthquake hits in the near future, with all of the storms the country has been having week after week, knocking out power to multiplied thousands, we're ready for other emergency events as well. Even here in Albany, which normally does not get snow, we had enough in our backyard last week for Jeremy and Olivia to scrape together a mini-snowman.

In case you missed it last month, take a look at the photo I took from our front yard of Mt. Hood, the tallest mountain and largest volcano in Oregon, only 83 miles from our house. Click here to go to our photo album.