Horrocks Family in Vancouver, Washington

2009-10-11T18:13:00.000-07:00

We went to the Nike campus to take pictures of Chase to put in the yearbook. They wouldn't let us in, so we went to the other side and let ourselves in (at the suggestion of the guard ;-). The picture in the crosswalk is titled "Abbie's Road".

2009-08-08T19:24:00.000-07:00

Well, we went out to finish Chase's Eagle project today and got asked to come help get a horse out of the creek. For some reason the horse fell off the bridge about 6 feet down and couldn't get back up. We tried to pull him out but it quickly became obvious that we weren't going to be able to get him out. The poor lady responsible for her friend's horse was just beside herself. Soon, the owner was called, then horse rescue, and a vet. After about 1 1/2 hours of trying to pull the horse out and the horse exhausting himself and getting more stuck, the rescuers came with their forklift and lifting straps. As you can tell by the pictures, it was quite an ordeal to get everything into place to get this horse the help he needed. We also got the project almost completed. As you can see, it's quite an accomplishment for a young man to design and build, (with dad's help and the help of friends), this kiosk for the use of those using the Whipplecreek horse trails.

Trip to Utah for Sherm's 90th Birthday!

2009-07-12T19:11:00.000-07:00

We love the summer time! The very first week of our summer vacation we went down to St. George, Utah for Great Grandpa Sherm's birthday. It was a lot of fun because we hadn't been down for a visit in a long time and it was the last time that all of the cousins would be all together before they start leaving for missions and such. We went hiking in Zion's National Park, had family dinners, went to Cherry Hills and took a tour through the Oquirrh Hills Temple! It was a very wonderful vacation!

Chase's Prom

2009-06-09T15:03:00.000-07:00

This last weekend Chase was able to go to his junior prom. He asked a very wonderful girl named Kierstin to the prom and they looked very cute together! Abbie and Mom helped him to pick his tux out and I must say it looks pretty darn spiffy! :) They went with a big group of their friends to dinner at Benihana's where they were entertained by the amazingly talented chefs and afterwards went to the dance at the Union Station in Oregon. These are some of the pictures that they took while they were out on their date.

Lots going on!!

2009-06-07T19:18:00.000-07:00

We've had quite a bit going on lately so here are some pictures of our activities! :) Chase has had many track meets as well as Caitlin, Ian, and Haley. Abbie just did a charity car wash to raise money for care packages for soldiers. School's just about out for the summer and we are all really excited for a relaxing and fun vacation!

Spring is in the air! Garden planting time

2009-04-26T13:04:00.000-07:00

It's time for the planting the garden! This is the next installment. We re-tilled the ground, made rows and planted beans (string, italian, lima, and asparagus beans), carrots, onions, tomatoes, cucumbers (lemon and armenian), corn, spinach, asparagus, peas and zucchini squash. Next week we'll finish up with the celery, pumpkin, canteloupe, watermelon and crookneck squash. That rounds it out. We have, along with the vegetables, a number of fruits - 3 apples, peaches, pears, nectarines, apricots, kiwis, 3 grapes, raspeberries, strawberries, and blueberries. Nothing like fresh produce for real flavor! Maybe we'll get some chickens next year and have our own little mini farm! Anyway, thanks to grandma and grandpa Jackson for helping us out. They're used to that warm Hong Kong weather and so were frozen in our 50 degree weather.

Chase at the Centennial Invitational in Gresham

2009-04-26T12:49:00.000-07:00

Chase finally was able to attemp pole vault at his meet yesterday. He only was able to clear 12'6". We still love him, though ;-) He took 4th in the 1500 meter and dead last in the 800 meter (very much unlike him). Later, he ran the 4X400 relay and Skyview took first place! Chase contributed much to this race. Enjoy the pictures.

Chase at the Centenial Invitational

2009-04-26T12:38:00.000-07:00

Grandma and Grandpa Are Back!!!!

2009-04-23T19:11:00.000-07:00

My parents are finally back from their mission to Hong Kong so they have come up to visit us for a few days now that they are back. Today we went out with them to a place called Lucia Falls in Battleground and just hiked around a bit. It was really beautiful and the weather wasn't half bad! Then we had lunch at Burgerville and afterwards went to a lovely little Lilac and Tulip farm in Woodland. It was really interesting because there was this really loud sound that kept going off every 30 seconds or so. We found someone and asked them about it and it turns out that it is an air cannon that the farmers shoot off to keep the clouds from forming above their farm. It was really cool because there were heavy, dark clouds everywhere except for above the farm. Anyway, the tulips were absolutely beautiful! It was a really fun day!

Gardening Time!

2009-04-19T19:42:00.000-07:00

It's that time again!!! Gardening time!!! These pictures are just a glimps of what winter does to a garden. Last weekend Dad and the boys were out working their little hiners off plowing and weeding, and all sorts of things. This year we are going to try and grow a 200 pound watermelon!! Wouldn't that be amazing? I believe our garden this year will also consist of asparagus, which is what I am really excited for!!!!

2009-04-19T16:42:00.000-07:00

April 18, 2009 - Chase goes to the Larry Eason Invitational at Snohomish High School Veterans Memorial Stadium to compete in the men's 1600 and men's 800 meter. The first race was the 1600 in which he placed 2nd. He was hanging behind the kid that was supposed to have a time of 4:11. That kid, from Canada, finished with a time of 4:30. Chase should have been following the kid from Redmond who took State last year in CrossCountry. He finished with a time of 4:16 followed by Chase with a time of 4:26:17. We've got high hopes for him. He wanted to Pole Vault this year, but a suitable pole wasn't available and the new one that was ordered was the wrong one. Needless to say, Chase has been feeling very dejected that he hasn't been able to compete. A new, correct pole is supposed to be delivered tomorrow. Hopefully he'll be able to practice with the new pole for a few days before Saturday's competition in Gresham, Oregon. We expected him to clear at least 15 feet this year.

2009-04-11T20:06:00.000-07:00

Just a few of the spring colors we have at our house right now. Mother Nature is AMAZING! We're in the process of getting our garden in. The ground is tilled, but we ran out of time for planting. Tomorrow (04/13/2009) is supposed to be a torrent of rain, so come back to see how we're doing. We'll post regular pictures as the garden grows. By the way, we're still enjoying the "fruits" of our labors from last year from corn to green beans to peaches, carrots and tomatoes. We're going to plant watermelon and canteloupe along with all the other things we did last year. Stay tuned!

2009-03-21T18:25:00.000-07:00

Ian and his new sport. Wrestling season is over so he's trying out basketball. After basketball season is over he's going in for Track. He's not sure what he'll be running, but it should be exciting. A few shots here of him in action and one of his shots going in!

2009-03-21T18:18:00.000-07:00

Caitlin gets the "I want to be a homemaker" bug and is learning to sew. Mom helped with the pink bag and Caitlin did the brown bag by herself. Haley's bag was more or less done by Mom! What's next, Caitlin? She says a skirt!

2009-03-21T17:20:00.000-07:00

Haley has her art chosen as an entry into the Vancouver School District School of Art exhibition. She was a little reluctant about it, but we think it's a fine entry!

2009-02-25T16:30:00.000-08:00

This was a trip to Aubrey Watzek Scout lodge at the base of Mt. Hood. We went as a group of Venture Scouts, spent the night and did some downhill runs with inner tubes. It was a great time.

2009-01-11T16:30:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures from Christmas that I hadn't put up yet. I thought they were pretty cute!!! Caitlin helped make dinner which was really very delicious!!! Potatoe soup in bread bowls! On Christmas eve Mom and Ian played a duet of Away in a Manger. It was a really fun Christmas eve and Christmas!

New Shoes and Haircuts

2009-01-03T12:35:00.001-08:00

This week Caitlin and Haley both got new haircuts. Caitlin probably hadn't cut her hair since she was 5 so she had 10 inches taken off. Haley just had a few inches off but they both look very cute! As for the shoes, Abbie's friend Scott came home from school during winter break with these really cool toe shoes called Vibram 5 fingers. Dad and Chase just think they are the coolest things ever so of course they had to order some for themselves. They are supposed to be just like going bearfoot, and help with your posture and all sorts of other things. Although all the girls think they're ugly, form meets function and they're VERY comfortable, so who cares what they think!

2008-12-25T06:46:00.000-08:00

This video is a little experiement. It seems to have worked out well, so you'll be able to enjoy more movies from our brilliant little family!

Snow Time Fun

2008-12-21T20:37:00.001-08:00

Today we were snowed in even more than yesterday because of all of the ice on top of the snow!! The news said this is the biggest snow storm the Northwest has seen since the early 90's! The girls made snow chairs today and Chase, Ian, and Abbie went out tonight to play around a bit in the snow!! Chase decided to wear a pair of old boots Great grandpa Parker gave him which was perfect because the soles of the shoe were completely smooth...ideal for sliding!! Just watch the video to see how well that turned out!!! (You can't really see very well but it was hilarious!!) We all are really enjoying the snow because after this winter we won't see it again for another 5 years!

Snow and Decorating for Christmas

2008-12-14T15:30:00.001-08:00

Today it is officially winter! We got our first (and hopefully not last) dusting of snow. We also decorated our Christmas Tree today. It looks really good! We got a lot of new ornaments to put on to it this year. Dad decided to get new lights for the tree. I think this is the first year we've ever had colored lights instead of the regular white ones. They look really pretty! We're all really excited for Christmas!

Ian's Wrestling Tournament

2008-12-07T12:51:00.000-08:00

Ian went to a wrestling match yesterday. He wrestled five people and took 3rd place in the tournament. It was really exciting to watch him do so well. He made varsity last year, and this year we hope he continues to improve his skill.

2008-11-30T15:45:00.000-08:00

Caitlin finished her quilt for Grandma Jackson. She did a GREAT job on her first quilt!

Ian shows off his project for the Culture Fair at school about Robert LeRoy Parker, a distant relative also known as Butch Cassidy.

2008-11-30T15:37:00.000-08:00

This is our thanksgiving meal. Grandma Sunshine came up from Utah. We call her Grandma Sunshine because it never rains and is always sunny when she comes. You know the reputation of the Great Northwet. It's not true when Grandma Sunshine comes to town.

Poor Abbie! We promised her she could eat with us before the great Thanksgiving Movie work day. Unfortunately, Tom Turkey didn't cooperate and she had to go to work before everything was ready (we didn't feel like eating raw turkey). She wasn't very happy about it and we were sad she wasn't with us. We did think of her for a while, then we got down to business of stuffing ourselves and listing a few things we were grateful for. Abbie had to eat by herself after she got home, but we did share some pie with her afterward.

2008-11-30T15:22:00.000-08:00

Chase is holding the Skyview High Cross Country team District 1st place tropy between his two very fine coaches, Chris Erdman and Bob Brands. Chase did well during the CrossCountry season this year. We have high hopes for him next year. He was 1st place runner at the District meet in Kelso, Washington, then he went to Regionals at Seattle and was 9th fastest runner, which qualified him for State with a time of 16:08. He had a great first run at State with a time of 16:11 coming in at #29. He earned the following awards:

Certificate of Participation at State
Distinquished Scholar Award
Varsity Award

Scholar Athlete Award

1st Team All-League

Runner of the Year

Chase was also asked to be the team captain for the 2009 season and was voted most valuable athlete for 2008 by his teammates. GO CHASE!!!!

Fall Family Pictures

2008-11-02T20:21:00.000-08:00

Family Pictures

2008-10-26T15:32:00.001-07:00

We took family pictures today. It was incredibly sunny so that's why everyone looks so squinty. I think we're going to take more pictures later on today. If we do I'll post them.

Chase's First Place District Race

2008-10-26T15:20:00.000-07:00

This week Chase won 1st place in Cross Country Districts. On Halloween he is going to regionals in Seattle. It was really awesome because we got to Kelso High School right as Chase was sprinting the last 100 yards his race! It was really awesome!!! Turns out he was interviewed by a reporter and the next day there was a big article in the paper about him. It was really cool.

Camp Fire!

2008-10-01T15:38:00.000-07:00

Grandma Pat came up this week to visit and also to watch Chase race. It's been a lot of fun! On Sunday we decided to build a fire in our backyard and roast hot doggies and make S'mores. I love s'mores. They are so delicious! It was a really nice night except for all of the mosquitoes. The fire was really hot because the wood was so dry, but it was cool because by the end of the night the fire had started glowing blue. It was cool! The sky was clear so when it got dark you could see the stars pretty well too! All in all, it was a fun night! By the way, don't you just love Chase's Sunday outfit?

Back to School Update

2008-09-22T15:06:00.000-07:00

I'm the last person to go back to school so here I am. This is my first "official" day of college, even though I've been going for the last year or so. I guess it was pretty fun, but it doesn't even feel like I've had a summer vacation. It was good to see my friends.

Cute Dog

2008-09-22T14:44:00.000-07:00

Here is a cute picture of Lala. I've been meaning to put this one up for a while, but I just haven't gotten around to it till now. She's just the stupidest dog, but she's so stinking cute!

Happy Birthday Grandpa!

2008-09-18T13:56:00.000-07:00

Here is a birthday card that I drew for Grandpa. (I, meaning Abbie...). What can I say? I'm a girl of many talents! ; ) Looks pretty good I think. I used a plethora of languages on this card. There is Japanese, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Swedish, Italian, German, Dutch and Romanian...and English of course... : ) Thank goodness for google translate. I'm satisfied with that card. I think it's the best I've ever done. (^o^).

Back to School

2008-09-06T14:44:00.000-07:00

Ahh....time to go back to school. :0 Everybody went school shopping so here are some of their outfits. I think they are all pretty cute, but Ian's shirt looks like Neopolatin Ice cream. Gross!

A day at the beach

2008-08-24T16:20:00.001-07:00

Sorry, Abbie. You had to work, but we had FUN!

Chase's Portland-To_Coast Run

2008-08-24T16:00:00.000-07:00

Chase ran a good race. He was car sick on the last leg, but ran anyway. Endure to the end? His team took 1st place in the High School Portland-To-Coast Challenge. There were 50 High School teams! Needless to say, he was a little spent when it was over. He crossed the finish line around 8:00 a.m. then spent the day at the beach. The race took 14 hours to complete a distance of 126 miles. His mile average pace was under 6 minutes, the team pace was 6:36 per mile. GOOD JOB!

Garden Update!

2008-08-22T20:15:00.001-07:00

Just so you all can see...here are the fruits of my brother's labors! We are actually getting a lot of stuff from our garden this year. And our trees are starting to produce fruit. In fact, just the other day, my dad had me try this stuff that was like an odd, small, watermelon tasting thing...it turned out to be a fig from our fig tree. Real figs taste much better than fig newtons, that's for sure.

Portland to Coast

2008-08-22T19:58:00.000-07:00

Today is the day! Chase and some members from his cross country team are running the Portland to Coast marathon. He left today at 4:00 pm and will arrive in Seaside sometime tomorrow. He really does enjoy running and is really quite good at it. This will be the second time he has participated in this run. Last year his team took 6th out of the whole race, which is really good considering they had one team member who had the stomach flu the whole time they were racing. He runs the last leg of the race so everyone is going to Seaside to watch him cross the finish line...except me because I only found out three days ago and now I have to work. : ( Not fair. But I hope they take first place! This is a picture of them before they left for their race...we'll see how it turns out afterwards....

Sugamo Girls

2008-08-11T10:24:00.000-07:00

Well our friends Tomone and Moemi left on Monday. It was very sad because we had become very good friends over these last couple of weeks. We have their addresses and stuff though so we'll be able to stay in touch. They are in Disneyland right now and then tomorrow they go to Universal Studios and then on Wednesday they go back to Japan. We had a really good time with them.

Ian's Broken Arms

2008-08-10T13:14:00.000-07:00

Well...we must say Ian is sure a big dork!!! This week he was running through a field at night, and then tripped over a curb and ran into a wall...breaking both of his arms. And nobody felt bad for him at all because he had just been making fun of a boy we know who broke both of his arms on a bike. He said, "How could he break both of his arms on a bike?". And we said, "How could you break both your arms running into a wall on your feet?". We don't feel bad for him at all. : )

Caitlin's Birthday

2008-07-31T16:22:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was also Caitlin's birthday. She turned the big 12! Now she gets to go to Young Women and all those fun things and even is going to be in middle school!! (Scary!) We got her cake from Costco. It was chocolate with cheesecake icing in the middle and chocolate frosting on the outside. We also had Tillamook mint chocolate chip ice cream!!! Yummy!!! : ) She got a lot of clothes and money for her birthday.

Sugamo Girls

2008-07-31T10:04:00.000-07:00

Our exchange student girls arrived safely yesterday from Tokyo. We are so happy to have them here, but really, I'm probably the most excited because I get to practice my Japanese with them. They barely speak any English at all, but they do alright communicating. Their names are Tomone and Moemi. (Moemi is the one with glasses.) They spend most of their day participating in English conversation classes and field trips. Then at five in the evening, we pick them up from school. We get the weekends with them though, so we're going to do some pretty fun things these next couple of weekends. Anyway, they are really nice girls and are really funny!!

Haley

2008-07-24T10:58:00.000-07:00

Basically, I just thought this was a cute picture of Haley. She had her friend Taylor over that day and they were having fun on the trampoline.

Marathon Man

2008-07-23T16:18:00.000-07:00

Here is the runner of our family, Chase. He really is good at it and it's something he enjoys doing also. He does cross country and track at school and for track races the mile and pole vaults. His highest vault was 13 feet. Just about 2 weeks ago, he went to the Olympic trials. He had a lot of fun and brought home a lot of souveniers...well actually Ian did, but whatever. They all were really great runners. The field is where they went for the Olympic trials.

Our Garden

2008-07-23T16:04:00.000-07:00

The boys have been working on this garden like crazy!! Everyday they go outside in the morning and water the plants and pull weeds. They work pretty hard at it. They know how to use the tiller now and I think Chase even knows how to drive the tractor. Scary right? It's turning out quite nicely I think. We've already been able to get some peas off of some plants. We've planted, gourd, watermelon, squash, tomatoes, basil, onions, corn, peas, carrots, potatoes, and I think green beans, but I can't remember for sure... Anyway, we're all excited for when it's ready to pick!!

Girls Camp

2008-07-23T14:42:00.000-07:00

Caitlin and I went to girls camp a couple of weeks ago. She left on time, but I had to work so on the second to last day I rode up with President Harbertson, Bishop Neil and Bro Fowles. It was an adventure and a half. Girls camp is probably the best week of the whole entire year! Here is a video of President Harbertson and Barris surrendering (finally) after our marshmallow gun/shaving cream/super soaker fight! It was so much fun!! There's always a lot to do at girls camp and you become really close with the girls from your ward. Whether it be testimony meetings, swimming, or marshmallow fights, camp is all around the best!

Our House

2008-07-23T12:14:00.000-07:00

This is our house and my car, Billy, a couple of years ago when we actually got a little bit of snow. It was an inch of paradise! They closed school for like four days. It was ridiculous!

My Favorite Class

2008-07-23T11:59:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of me and my Japanese class. It's the funnest class I've ever taken!! It's so much fun! Especially when we make sushi! It's so yummy delicious! My family is going to host some Japanese summer exchange students for 2 weeks. I'm so excited!! We'll put pictures up later. They will be getting here on Caitlin's birthday, which is in about a week.

Fourth of July

2008-07-23T11:29:00.000-07:00

This is my family at the beach on the 4th of July. They left me at home all by myself because I had to work. How mean is that?! I guess I can't complain though because I went there for my graduation without them. Anyway, they flew kites that dragged them all the way down the beach, bought skim boards, and went to a tide pool.

Seminary Graduation

2008-07-22T18:00:00.000-07:00

Here is me (Abbie) at my seminary graduation. It was really a lot of fun!! President Harbertson made fun of me as always, and I sang in the graduation choir. These are me and my friends, Mallory, Scott, Brittney, and Jodi.

Abbie's Graduation

2008-07-22T17:53:00.000-07:00

It was long and pretty cold toward the end because it was in an "outdoor" covered amphitheater. I never thought I would actually make it. ; ) I think I'll miss high school a little bit... not! : ) Grandma Pat and Sydney came up for my graduation. We had a super fantastic time!