No, these are not terrorist being hunted by Jack Bauer of 24 fame. This is our son Jared with several of his friends playing paint ball at a birthday party. It snowed the night before so they had lots of fun running around the snow covered field shooting each other with paint balls. Oh, and Jared is standing on the far left.

October Fun

October is always one of my favorite months of the year- I love the colors, the weather and the activities.

Jared, Nate and Rachel all have birthdays in October, Jared turned 14, Rachel turned 21 and Nate is 25. (Thus signaling that I am in fact getting very old). Halloween is my favorite holiday of the year, decorating has always involved planning a party and this year was no different, even though Rachel no longer celebrates her birthday at home. I have 3 birthdays to think about and the fun of packing up a party in a box and mailing off to Rexburg.

Jared had friends over to our house to go out trick or treating with him on Halloween. Now that Becca is working at the New York Cupcakes store in Bellevue Square Mall, she baked and decorated a dozen Halloween cupcakes for Jared's party. They were yummy!!

Becca is really enjoying her job doing the baking and decorating for the cupcake shop. She loves the creative aspect of cooking and design. She has always loved the culinary arts, and this has been a fun job to keep her busy as she waits to go off to college in January. She is also keeping busy by attending institute and the singles ward as well as our family ward.

Jared turning 14 means he got to go to his first church dance, he seemed to have a lot of fun and got invited to dance by lots of girls. He has become quite the expert at texting these days as well- and it is always girls (oh my! is it starting already?) In fact, his woefully out of date mother has had to learn to text just to get a hold of him half the time.

Chuck is enjoying his new responsibilities involved in his promotion, but with his traveling about 80% of the time, he knows it will get old soon. But when he is not on the road he works out of the house, so when he is in town we see more of him than before. Which is nice. It is fun to come home from seminary or my dog walking and have someone home to keep me company and eat lunch with.

My dog business is building up slowly and steadily, which is great- because I can't integrate more than one new dog into the pack at a time. Also, my business has been expanding in unforseen ways. I have had a lot of requests for boarding, which originally I thought I would not do, but has turned out to be very lucrative, in spite of the fact that I can only handle about 2 additional dogs at a time. Also I have a new client that travels a lot as a consultant and pays me to come let out his 3 large dogs for a few minutes in the morning and then again in the evening. The best part is that I am am meeting many new people that are animal oriented like I am and appreciate my ability to work successfully with their dogs.

Our family is looking forward to the Holidays, as Rachel and Nate will be here for Thanksgiving. Rachel and Becca will be fixing the Thanksgiving meal, as I have dogs to walk that day. Becca is already trying out recipes for the perfect dinner roll, and scouring the Bon Appetite magazines for elegant menus to use. I know we will have a fabulous meal (we did need a fire extinguisher the last time these girls cooked a turkey) and they have my complete confidence.

BACK TO THE ROUTINE

Fall in the Northwest is my favorite time of year. We actually turned the heater on for the first time in about 4 months. There is nothing like crisp cool air and autumn color to make you want to cozy up in front of a fire and snuffle with someone ( I actually meant snuggle, but then the fall usually brings head colds too!)

We are getting used to being back in a routine, school, seminary and Chuck traveling a lot for business. The only one who doesn't have a routine yet is Becca- she is still job hunting. Her summer nannying job ended when the kids went back to school.

My dog business has slowed way down- 3 of my dogs were summer clients only, so I have lost them, which leaves me with only one permanent client right now. Although I am doing some more fill-in work for other walkers. I am trying to use this slow time to focus on getting some advertising. I have 2 ads coming out in local neighborhood publications, and I got some custom decals with my business name and web-site to go on the back windows of the truck and Suburban. Since school has started I have gotten a lot more hits on my website, and more email inquiries, but none have gone anywhere.

This year in seminary I am teaching the freshmen instead of juniors. It is a very small class of 7 students with 2 autistic boys in it. I think they gave me that class because I am the only female teacher in the building. I really have to stretch to keep everybody engaged and with me on subject. It is a learning experience I am enjoying, but it certainly keeps me on my toes.

Jared just got his braces on yesterday, so he is eating a lot of yogurt and smoothies right now. He doesn't want to smile, but that phase should pass quickly. Soon he will forget that he is even wearing them.

As I mentioned, Chuck is doing a lot of traveling with his new position in the company. He was in Denver last week and New Jersey this week. I think his car is parked at the airport more than in the garage. It feels so good to have him home on weekends.

COWBOY UP!!

Our 2nd week of vacation this year was wet, wild and wonderful!

It started with a 2 day white water rafting trip on the Salmon River in Idaho. The weather was perfect- warm and sunny, and the water was cold and refreshing when we jumped in, but not freezing. We camped along the shore of the river on soft white sand that made for comfortable sleeping under the million stars. The rapids were way fun and definitely worth all that paddling and sun screen slathering!

Next on our agenda was a trip to Rexburg to see Rachel and Nate. We arrived on Thursday before Rachel was off work, so we dropped by the Bridal store where she works to surprise her. We got to see her in action, measuring men for tux rentals and helping brides pick out their dream dress. We all went to dinner that evening down in Idaho Falls at their favorite steak restaurant called the Texas Roadhouse. It is a very casual place with a metal bucket of peanuts at each table and you are encouraged to throw the shells on the floor. They have huge steaks, BBQ ribs and chicken to die for and the best hot homemade rolls served with honey butter. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Rachel and Nate have the cutest little house and Rachel has done a darling job of decorating it.


The next day we all drove up to Montana to spend a couple of days at the ranch. The ranch is gorgeous, a beautiful valley with a river running through it surrounded by mountains. I told Nate he had 3 days to "hickify" Jared. He did his best. Jared got to feed carrots to a horse and even kissed the horse on the nose! Nate took him fishing in the river right behind the ranch house.

Nate let Jared drive the swather (cuts the hay in the field) and Chuck got to drive a tractor- they were both pretty excited. Jay tried to pick up a 180lb bale of hay. Nate says it is called "buckin' hay".





































Everyone got to ride around the ranch on the ATV's that are kept up there, and Dad & Jared got to chase cows through the mud in the river bottom. Chuck even made some friends with the lambs in the pasture. There were lots of animals on the ranch, besides the cows, horses, and lambs there were also chickens, ducks, turkeys and 2 dogs. I told Jared I would pay him $50 if he could catch a rooster, and although he spent 3 days trying, I never had to pay up.

Nate took the whole family up in the hills above the ranch for some target practice. It was the first time either Jared or Chuck had ever shot a shotgun- the recoil just about knocked them over. Nate also had two .22 caliber rifles that we all took turns shooting. It was a wonderful experience to be out on the farm away from TVs and cell phones. Just the crickets at night to put us to sleep and those dad-blasted roosters in the morning to wake us up.





It was really hard to say goodbye to Rachel and Nate and start the long drive back home, but it was satisfying to see how happy Rachel is, and how much she loves Nate and obviously loves being married. She took such good care of us all the time we were there. My little Jo Jo is all growed up!!

Whistler Vacation

FAMILY VACATION TIME

Although we have been too busy to go the past 2 years (last year we had a wedding), a summer trip to Whistler has been a family tradition for the Escotos. There is so much more to do there in the summer than winter. As Becca is leaving for college soon, this may be one of our last vacations with her, so we made the most of it. We frequently ATV, hike, swim, ride bikes, roller blade, eat out a lot and shop, shop, shop! I frequently do a lot of my Christmas shopping on the Whistler trip, but this year the terrible exchange rate put an end to that.

This year we tried a new activity- paintballing. Jared, Becca & Chuck loved it- me, not so much. You have to be fast and agile, darting from rock to stump and crouching low to avoid being hit. We had 11 people playing, Jared the youngest at 13, all the rest 15-20 year old boys. Then there were us old folks. You could practically hear the boys groan when I walked out on the field! They were thrilled with Becca however, and she proved to be pretty good, winning the game by capturing the flag for our team. chuck was able to keep up with those young'uns just fine. But I was a definite liability. I kept shooting my own team members because my face mask was so fogged up from all my huffing and puffing running up( well, walking really) and down the hills, I couldn't tell who was friend or foe. The most interesting part of the game was the fact that the local bear population loves the taste of the paint (it's non-toxic) and as soon as the game starts and the bears hear the sound of the guns they come for a snack. They just amble right onto the playing field and start licking the ground, stumps, tires and anything else that has been hit. They totally ignore the people, but they aren't shy around them either. They will come within a couple of yards. Whenever one of them wandered onto the field, we would have to stop play, while the referee would chase them off with sirens and firecrackers. Pretty soon they would be back- in fact one of them climbed a tree right in the middle of one of the playing fields, so we had to vacate it for another field.

This year for the first time Jared rented a high-tech mountain bike and took it on the gondola to the top of Whistler mountain and rode down! He loved it. Actually he did it 4 times . Chuck was so psyched!! He could never get any of us girls to go with him, so he has been riding the mountain solo for years. Now, he has a riding buddy.

We all have our favorite stores and restaurants, that we go back to year after year. This year Chuck made a point of recreating some pictures we had taken in years past of the kids when they were little in front of their favorite places. I wonder how long it will take me to get around to scrapbooking them all!

DOG DAYS OF SUMMER

These last two weeks I have been covering a dog-walking route for my friend who is on vacation. I have gotten a real taste of what this career can be. It can be a lot of fun (especially when the weather is gorgeous) and lucrative. I walked 4-5 of her dogs each day and made over $1000 in the 2 week period. Consider that is only working 4 hours a day. A lot of professional dog walkers have 10-15 dogs daily!! The most important aspect for me is that it is something I LOVE to do. Each day you have a new combination of dogs which makes it a whole new adventure. Each dog has its own personality, there is the crabby old lady, the class clown, the intense- all business, ball obsessed, the socialite who has to greet everyone she passes, and the dog that entertains himself- off in his own little world. It is like being surrounded by a group of your best friends, and best of all they adore me because I give them treats. It makes my day that the dogs are so excited to see me when I arrive, and race out to jump in my truck for another day of fun and games. Who needs Prozac? Just let me walk dogs and all is right with the world.

This is my son Jared just prior to his begining his paper route. Of course with 800+ papers its become a family activity. The first day it took us 9 hours then 8 hours, last night we got it done in 5 hours, so we are getting better.

I'VE BECOME A PAPER BOY!!

Yes, it's true- I've become a paper boy!! Of course, I'm not the only one, as Chuck and Jared are involved in this new business adventure as well. Jared has been looking for ways to make money this summer. It is hard for a 13 year old to find jobs that make serious money. When the local Bellevue Reporter advertised that it was looking for delivery personnel for some of its routes, Chuck and I thought it was the perfect opportunity. Chuck had a paper route from the time he was 11 til age 16 and thought it would be a good experience for Jay.

However, this is a whole different animal than the route Chuck knew as a kid- he delivered 100 papers, whereas our route is 800 papers! The very first day it took us 9 hours to fold the papers, stuff them in a plastic sleeve, wrap the paper with a rubber band, find all the addresses and throw the papers. That was with 3 people working!! 2ND day it was 8 hours- we're getting better. Luckily this paper is only delivered twice a week- Wednesdays and Saturdays. All this, just to get Jared a summer job.

More exciting news in our household as well- Chuck has been offered a promotion with his company as a National Account Manager. It will involve more traveling than he is doing now, about the same amount as he was doing years ago when he was a District Manager. His area will cover the Northwest ( WA,OR, ID, and UT) plus No Calif and Arizona. Although he is not that excited about the travel, it is an opportunity to do something different, as he was getting bored after being a sales rep for so many years, plus there is always the additional $$$. If nothing else, it will look spectacular on his resume when the time comes to make another career change.

Becca is leaving this am for her vacation- which is a week in Canada at a special youth conference for our church known as EFY (Especially For Youth). This is her 4th EFY, the others being in Utah, Idaho, and Washington. This year is special because she is old enough that she and her best friend Carly White are driving to Canada by themselves- their first official ROAD TRIP! They have been waiting for this for a long, long time. They just walked out the door with spoons and a large jar of Nutella in their hands to satisfy any chocolate cravings during their trip.

I love my dog walking business, it is a lot of fun. I not only enjoy the dogs, but the owners as well. Anyone who would spend that kind of money just to let their dog have fun is my kind of person!! I am getting more confident handling multiple dogs simultaneously and am anxious to build up my client base. I have gotten somewhat sidetracked by the paper route, but it is time to get back into investing time into my own advertising. So, if you know anyone who wants their dog walked.......

It is officially summer

The kids are all out of school and summer has officially begun at the Escoto household.

Becca is working full-time as a nanny besides being responsible for laundry and cooking dinner every night at our house.

Jared is doing summer school, tennis team, distributing flyers for my business and walking dogs around our own neighborhood, washing cars and anything he can think of to earn money.

Chuck is spending this week in Denver and New Jersey interviewing for a promotion with his company. He has started playing some golf with Jared, so his knee is slowly improving. He still gimps a little bit, and winces when he steps on it the wrong way.

My business is starting to move. I picked up a new client last week that has 2 dogs, and I am meeting with another client on Friday for the first time, who is looking for a walker for her lab 2-3 days a week. I am still walking Carol Fairbanks' dog (I take Fozzi to Marymoor 2 days a week and Jared walks him around the neighborhood the other 3) but not for pay, I am trading walking for embroidery services. She is embroidering matching dog collars with my business name and phone number, in case I lose a dog, whoever finds it will know who to call. She is also embroidering my business name on sweatshirts, hats and rain jackets so that I can advertise everywhere I go. Soon I will be known as the "Moosepaw Lady"!!

Rain, rain, go away

It has rained the entire week, which is dismal after the gorgeous, warm week that it followed. speaking of rain, a funny thing happened to me at the dog park today. The off-leash dog-park I take Kobe to is 60 acres of fields with a river running through it. Kobe always loves to wade into the water up to his chin, (he is too lazy to actually swim), and while he is out there I throw dog biscuits to him. Most people throw tennis balls for their dogs to wildly jump in the water to fetch, however, Kobe could care less about retrieving ( he is a herding dog, remember?) and the only thing he is not too lazy to chase is food. Well, as most fishermen know, fish come to the surface when it starts to rain, I guess they think the droplets are insects landing on the water. At any rate, every time I would throw a dog biscuit to Kobe a fish would eat it before he could get to it. It was driving him crazy. He would see the biscuit fly through the air, and the splash when it hit, but when he got to it, magically it had disappeared. Pretty soon I had a whole gallery of people (yes, I am not the only maniac willing to walk my dog in the rain) watching this crazy fish practically jumping out of the water to get those biscuits!!

Chuck is now officially off his crutches and cleared to go back to work on Monday. Actually, he will be flying to San Francisco early Monday am and be down there most of the week. So he goes from no activity to full speed.

Becca will be graduating this week, with Baccalaureate and seminary graduation tomorrow. She is glad to have her senior boards over. Just 2 more finals to take and it is all over but the shouting and the clapping.

Jared's final band concert is this week, so his school year is winding down as well, just not as quickly as Becca's. Jared is hoping to get a job for the summer delivering newspapers. So maybe all 4 of us will be working this summer. Yikes!

It has been an absolutely gorgeous warm and sunny week here in paradise. Good thing Uncle Greg picked this week to come for a visit- he is getting spoiled by all this incredible weather.

We are all staying extremely busy. Chuck has been doing some major job hunting while he is off work due to his knee surgery. He has had interviews nearly every day. Although he can't walk on his knee at all, and is still gimping around on crutches, he is able to drive. So he has been really helpful by driving Jared to sax lessons or tennis.

Becca is working hard getting her portfolio ready for Senior Boards, and then there is always finals. She is graduating from high school on Friday June 15. She has already found her summer job, as a nanny for a family in the neighborhood. It pays really well and she gets to use their car all summer. This delights her, as she doesn't want to be seen anymore in the little green truck ever since we put the shell on the back to accomodate my dog walking business. She thinks the shell looks lame. She certainly didn't want to trade cars with me and drive the suburban as I will need to be driving the truck.

Jared will be out of school the week after Becca and is looking forward to having 2 weeks off before summer school starts. He has a busy summer planned with a week at scout camp, a week in Whistler with the family and a trip to Idaho to visit Rachel & Nate. I am sure he will be in tennis camp nearly every day after school as well.

Today was my last lesson in Seminary for the year, tomorrow we are just having a big breakfast for the kids. No more getting up a 4:30am!!! (at least until Sept). Seminary is such a huge part of my life, and though getting up is not my idea of fun, seminary is. I love being around teenagers. It helps to compensate for my own children growing up and going off to college (& getting married). This summer will be spent trying to get my dog-walking business off the ground. I now have my own website- check it out: www.moosepawdogwalkers.com

My brother Rick has helped me put together flyers, postcards and business cards, so I have spent most of my time so far running around to pet stores and veterinarians offices posting advertising. In August I will be taking over a dog walking business for a friend who will be out of town on vacation. I have already gone on trial runs with her dogs (there are 10) to get them accustomed to me, and I really enjoyed it. Realize I am walking all these dogs at once (off-leash), not individually. It is so fun!! The dogs get to run around like crazy chasing balls, each other, rolling in the grass, and swimming in the river. It is literally doggy heaven. Disneyland advertises that it is the "Happiest Place on Earth". I disagree- the dog park is!!

My Family

This is my son Jared at his sister Rachel's wedding. He is 13.5 and is in the 7th grade. His skills are photography, and tennis, with a good sense of fashion.

Pictures Are In

Here is my son-in-law, Nater with his sweet wife, Rachel

High School Can Be So Fun!!

Becca at prom with her superhero

Josh!

Welcome to my world!

Welcome to the land of tall pine trees and lush greenery. RAchel is helping me to figure out the process of creating a blog to keep everyone abreast of the activities of the North West Escotos. If you think our annual Christmas letter is annoying- now you get my ramblings ad nauseum!!

Chuck had knee surgery a week ago, and is still gimping around on crutches. He had a torn meniscus, and loose cartilage floating around in there, so an arthroscopy was needed. It has been fun to have him home, of course, he was drugged....

I only have 8 more days of teaching seminary for the year, both the students and I are getting antsy for it to be over (as much as we love it!!!). But my new dog-walking business should keep me busy through the summer. I just got my business license last week, so all I need now are some clients. I pick up dogs from home weekdays around noon and take them all to a local park for an off-leash doggy playgroup.

Becca's senior year in high school is winding down. Senior Project is all completed except for her oral boards on June 6. Graduation is June 15. She will be heading off to BYU Idaho in January. She has already secured herself a great summer job as a full time nanny. She even has the use of the family's car. Which worked out perfectly because I will need the truck she has been driving during the school year to haul my dogs. Last week was senior prom, and senior ditch day is coming up soon....ahhh the memories.

Jared has become an avid tennis player, and has made the tennis team at Robinswood. He just completed building a model solar car and won the first heat of the solar car race at school against 7 competitors. The next heat didn't go so well- his car ran into something and got disqualified. He is now about 1/2 inch taller than I am. Which leaves me the shortest person in the family.

Rachel and Nate are doing great in Rexburg Idaho. Both are going to school and working. The latest addition to their family is a tomato plant she bought in a campus plant sale. She is very excited to have her own little plant to care for (although she really wanted a puppy....)

My chit chat just dried up, so I guess I am done.

Love to all..
-Shelley